All Discussion PAGE 663

I'm praying for everyone in California right now. Thanks for sharing this!!! May God bless you and your family this CHRISTmas season!

How does one become ordained as an Apostle today.

Hello again,

Part 2

continued...and desire salvation.

Another thing that may be at play here is what Adam speaks to about not being saved until the end since Jesus said that whoever endures to the end (in faith) will be saved and that the completed salvation of all of our being is a yet to be fulfilled event. I don't think that David was necessarily speaking about this, but it does speak to whether one who believes in Jesus can turn away from their faith and thus be in a lost state again. Adam, you made some good points on this topic. It deserves much consideration to come to understand what the Scriptures really teach about the security of believers.

While I am not her committing to any specific view, as I do not wish to choose sides. But this conversation is very interesting to me and I am looking forward to reading more from both of you. Thank you for sharing your ideas.

Hello Adam and David. I think both of you have made good points concerning the teaching of Scripture.

My understanding of what David was emphasizing is that from the standpoint of Galatians 2:16, our justification is based wholly on what Jesus did to bring about our salvation. Also, elsewhere, in Romans 3:22, it is said that our righteousness is not of ourselves but of "the faith of Jesus," (this is the same phraseology as used in Gal. 2:16). This Romans verse is attributing our righteousness to that of Christ's pure righteousness being imputed to us. So, in both of these verses, justification and righteousness come from Jesus and even our faith comes from Him. It is a gift that we received that enables us to believe the Gospel. Adam, I think that you have stated such in past posts, as I recall. So, I think we a ll agree on these points, but I may be mistaken.

What is at issue here, from what I can tell, is the matter of the extent of the freedom of man's will in being able to choose to have faith in Jesus. Many Christians will speak as David has, that mankind cannot on his own will choose to turn to God or believe. We must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit. We can not regenerate ourselves. Along with this regeneration comes the gift of faith and the power of the Spirit to activate this faith. Many who believe along this line of theology will say that man's corruption from sin has left his free will depraved and able to only choose to not serve God, have faith in Him, and turn to Him.

This is why there needs to be an initial action from God to regenerate us and make us new so that our free will can be made new (along with the rest of our being) so that we can turn to God and walk in faith provided for us in Jesus Christ.

There are other Christians who believe that we are able to cooperate with the Spirit of God to believe before we are regenerated. This would mean that man's free will was corrupted ny sin but not to the point that he cannot desire after God.

To me , when a church is run more like a business than a place of worship , things can get very dangerous . In all honesty , if I was a member of a rich church I would be very uncomfortable with that and would much rather be part of a poor congregation than a rich one . Luke chapter 19 verses 45+46 . Remember who , out of the desciples , it was that was in charge of their funds . Ask yourself why does Jesus refuse to give his judgement in Luke chapter 12 verses 13+14 .? Did God give Jesus lots of money to give away and help solve people's problems ?

( Matt 22:1-14) The invitations were sent out by a father arranging a wedding feast for his son (as Heavenly Father for His Son). The gospel (invitation) was given to Jews first (God's chosen people) but was made light of and rejected by them. So then wedding invitations (the gospel) went to others in the highways and hedges (gospel was preached to the Gentiles), and the wedding hall was filled. The wedding garment is our garment of salvation ( Isa 61:10) received through Christ. The man who is not wearing his wedding garment had not received salvation and is as the one in Matt 7:21-23 who pretended to be saved, but Jesus said, "I NEVER knew you."

Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV) "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'

Many received the invitation to salvation, but only a few of God's chosen received it. (Many called, few chosen.)

Galatians 3:27 (KJV) For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (put on wedding garments).

2 Peter 1:10 (NKJV) Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure.

Hello im impressed with your website, Im speaking on behalf Of "Joseph the step father of Jesus of Nazerth the inspiration of the Director of Cambridge". I he asked me to write as if I was him so I also have shared a part of my life with him is what i believe. So we just wanted say hi! Him as Joseph and I as Ruben Marquez!

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Hello, thanks for sharing but that's not what God says in His word.

What scripture verse do you claim to be the source of your idea that faith is a result of salvation?

And what scripture verse do you cite to claim that you're saved now before you're even judged?

Paul said the one verse you're citing, but did you notice that Paul also warned ( 1 Cor 4:14) Christians to obey and not stray from the faith. God gives you that choice- he will allow you to commit despicable evil as we see people do every day, as is covered by the news. Christians also leave the faith, as evidenced by those we know in person and those forum groups like on Reddit where they talk about it. To deny this reality is to deny truth. Did God cause them to leave the faith? No, people did using their own freewill and bad choices. They will not be saved if they are not following Christ. Not all Christians will be "saved" on judgment day.

I don't know if you believe in freewill or not, that God is forcing you to type things on this site you don't want to say of if you believe you are doing it. If God forces you to eat things you don't want to eat like Taco Bell or ice cream. But about freewill of course there's only one truth- either its true or not, not both. And its true for me, so are people claiming its not true for them? And is that God speaking through them that its not true or is that their own doing and how can they 100% prove they are not in control of their bodies whatsoever? Some may be deceived and use this as justification to sin against God and perhaps some may be dishonest about it.

1 Cor 4:5 says to judge nothing before the Lord comes and then the Lord will then judge us, but people seem to like judging themselves as saved so some can then make excuses to disobey God.

Romans 15:5 Paul says we need endurance. He warns us, says to endure, and 1 Corinthians 9:24 says to run the race so to win the prize. The refutes the popular narrative.

1 Peter 1:5 - "...salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
Hebrews 10:26, James 2:14-26, Matthew 7:21-23

Dear Sammi and others on this thread,

I agree that giving of our time and talents is what God wants us to do, but I God has also demonstrated that those who serve the church as leaders should be compensated. So, giving monetarily to the staff and work of a church is important. Also, some ministries are worthwhile to give monetarily to as they do good work for those in need in big ways. I think it is good to do all of these things with generosity and concern for the needs of others. We are to do as God has led us not by demands nor manipulative tactic of others.

I also think that there are people and ministries that take advantage of the generosity of believers and misuse and mishandle the monetary gifts people send them. This is sad. But I do that there are many people and ministries that are diligent about using monetary gifts in godly ways. We should prayerfully support those we know well that will use our giving in ways that honor God and truly help others. Discernment and good research on such people and ministries is advised.

But even so, we should pray for God to give us true compassion and generosity to be able and willing to bless others with our gifts as well as a servant's heart to be willing to get into the trenches and help others. I know need more of these attributes and to put them into action more than I am doing now.

Yes, Donna, it was 6.7 or something, which is a powerful earthquake. So far the reports show a few injured. The area of the quake was quite rural and many are without power. I will be praying as I hear more news throughout the day.

Hello Hammer 63

In these passages Scripture speaks of God not changing His mind or changing.

Numbers 23:19 1Sam. 15:29. Ps. 110:4 Mal. 3:6

In these passages Scripture speaks of God's knowledge of man's hearts, thoughts, actions, and history.

Mt. 12:25 John 2:24 1 Kings 8:39 Ps. 139:1 Ps. 94;!0 Is. 40:14 Is.46:10 1 Sam. 2:3 Mt. 6:8 Lk. 16:13

I firmly believe that Scripture states unequivocally that God is the same, today, yesterday, and forever (Heb, 13:8; 1:12; Ps. 102:27). This means that He never changes in any way. Scripture also says that He has all wisdom and knowledge that is to be known. I believe that God is omniscient (all-knowing) without every gaining knowledge or forgetting anything. If he could gain or lose knowledge, then this would indicate a change in Him, but the Scriptures say that He never changes.

When the Scriptures elsewhere speak of God repenting, they are talking about His grieving in real time (from man's perspective). But in eternity, God always has known of how wicked mankind would become and that He always will be grieved by it. The Scriptures do not say that God is surprised by any situation, decision, nor actions of mankind. We, in our limitedness and fallenness can speculate that He must be taken by surprise because we would be.

Hammer, I am glad that you responded to me. I have given you my response and I know that my belief aligns with Scripture and the consistent teaching of the church over the centuries. You are free to think your own way, but I always try to remember when something in Scriptures perplexes me that "there is a way that seems right to a man ( Pr. 14:12) but its end is the way of death." So, therefore, I study to know the God and His nature more thoroughly so that I can hold my perplexing thoughts up to what I know is true of God.

Please Lord provide a kidney donator Candi ray's granddaughter that she will be a testimony for you Lord Jesus. Please allow the family to have the support that they did need during this difficult time by your guidance Holy Spirit I ask in the name of Jesus Christ.

Please consider reflecting on: 1 Peter 5:7 and remember whatever is above our heads, is already under the feet of Jesus Christ!

Hello Rick and Bailey

I have been in your place with a babe that would not sleep much without me being right with him. My youngest was quite colicky and would not nap during the day more than 30 minutes or so. At night, he would only sleep well on my chest. This went on for five months before he actually slept for a whole hour during the day. He still would wake often during the night to nurse.

Being my third child, I was more relaxed about this than if he was my first. But I was exhausted and had walking pneumonia when he was 6 months old. The other two boys were sick on and off through since his birth and he had multiple sinus/ear infections since he was 2 months old. Since my husband was working, I was on my own during the day with a very fussy babe, a 2 and a half year old and a Kindergartener.

I will pray for your family.

Dear Heavenly Father, we lift this family up to You in the name of Jesus and ask that You supply their needs in all ways. Bring a job for Rick quickly. Help Bailey with caring for this babe, giving them a successful nursing relationship so that Mae will thrive. We ask that You bring to Mae's body what is needed for her to be a calm baby who sleeps adequately during the day and night. Keep this situation with Mae's sleeplessness short and not let it drag out for months and months. Help Bailey to stay calm and be willing to nurse Mae as much and often as Mae needs to sustain her and cause her to grow well as well as provide the pacification and soothing babies need from nursing. Amen.

We must not use the fact that we are not saved by our works as an excuse to not help out other people . Remember Matthew chapter 25 verse 31-46 and James chapter 2 .

I'm glad for you and your new job . May God bless you and guide you to always do the right thing in your place of work .

I totally agree , good works are the result of our knowledge of the love of God towards us and our willingness to show the love of God to others . That's how I see it . I cannot be saved by anything I do , I feel the love of God and His blessings in my life and I want grow in love . Love is not something I'm very good at , so I asked God to help me with it and He has helped me and now , because I can feel love I want to express it . Is that a bad thing ? Believe me , when I was young I had a heart of stone and in my twenties I realised that it probably wasn't a good thing for me . Thanks to God I now have a heart of flesh .

I was born in 1955 & I had 7 strokes this last year. I lost my hearing in the left ear. Thankyou so much for your prayers to God and Jesus. I am not worthy,can you pray His Glory will be in my heart ? In a great & mighty way? Glory to God. Thankyou

want to know more on luke 15

Salvation is 100% the Work of God

Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith OF Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith OF Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

It is critical to recognize this important truth about the Nature of Salvation. Notice in Gal 2:16 and other passages that it is the Faith OF Christ that saves us. That is Christ's faithfulness in paying the full penalty required for the sins of His Elect which were chosen in Christ before the foundation of that world, drawing them, and applying that salvation to each individual by giving them their Resurrected Soul, and completing their salvation by giving them their Resurrected Spiritual Body on the Last Day.

Our faith IN Christ and IN the Word of God, the Bible, is a RESULT of our salvation and not the CAUSE nor the MEANS of our salvation. The faith that we exercise is a gift of God and a WORK that we do. And no WORK that we do can contribute to our salvation in any way.

If we are trusting in any WORK that we do as contributing to our salvation we are in danger of walking in the shoes of the man who picked up a few sticks on the Sabath Day and was executed as a result. The fourth commandment to do no WORK on the Sabath of the Old Testement was a ceremonial law pointing to the fact that the True Gospel is a gospel where God does all of the work to save us. And if we are following a gospel that requires any work on our part, we are following a false gospel that cannot save. God does ALL of the WORK in saving us.

This truth, unfortunately, has not been well understood throughout the history of National Isreal nor the Churches.

This request is for Mae and her parents Rick and Bailey. We are asking God that Mae (3 months old) would sleep naps 1 - 2 hours everyday and the should would sleep deeply and longer hours at night. She struggles to sleep. We are asking that God would provide a job for Rick. That God would give supernatural strength for Bailey to breastfeed and take care of Mae. That God would give us a strong direction for his will. That Gods word would be a lamp to their feet.

Good morning Gigi! I was referencing your statement "He does not learn anything new nor does He find out things as time passes. He knows all that will ever be and every possibility that could ever be. So, nothing surprises Him." As I read the Bible it seems to me that there are "actions of man" that do surprise him or that he never thought of before. I don't know any other way to interpret "neither came it into my mind". Also, in Noah's time God seemed surprised "that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." I take it that when he repented he meant regretted, because he destroyed man whom he created. If he knew the extent of how wicked man would get he would have been "grieved" beforehand.

Northern California just had a large earthquake that did a lot of damage. Many will need help and prayer.

please prat for my grandaughter Chelsey Curry ,she needs a kidney

Today is my first day at work please pray for energy, focus and strength for me in Jesus name.

If kings were killed in the last 7 years, why do we read that there are Kings in Heaven? Thank you, regards John.

please remember me and Kristie and our families in your prayers remember my son in law Adam and father in law

You are very right about that , God doesn't need our money , that reminds me of my Grandma , she was a wise old bird , Amen to you .

I don't attend a church anymore, I was excluded from mine for marrying a lady of a different denomination , so I tithe by regular charity donations straight from my bank account . I firmly believe that the most precious gift we can give is our time , it's the only thing that is really ours to give , it can be a real sacrifice to give it and do something that we don't really want to do instead of doing something that we really enjoy , it's the most appreciated thing, money is easy , give someone a friendly smile and a chat , ask if they need anything and if they say yes , do it for them . Our time is the only thing we truely own , Jesus gave his time , he gave his life to the service of others , to the point of dying that we might be saved . Money is a quick conscience fix , surely it's needed and appreciated by the recipient but time is very precious and to give yours to others is a not just appreciated by the recipient , its also good for us . I think we are all aware of how precious our own time is , this also means that when we give it to someone , they know that we have spent it on them and it makes them feel loved and special . There's no greater gift in my opinion . It's a real sacrifice to give it , David says somewhere something like : I shall not give to the LORD something that has cost me nothing . That's not what true sacrifice is , I'm not rich bit to give away a few bucks wouldn't be too hard to me . To be out shovelling snow off someone else's driveway when I could be at home warm , these are the kindnesses that others appreciate I think , I hope !

I am happy reading this version bible. Need prayers for my Employment.

I need to know if and why this spirt of wisdom is the mother of creation as well. They completely took her out the bible. If she has a name. why isn't in the new apocrypha that came out.