I prefer the Franz family rendition along with many other songs they perform.
I mention this because of my friend in Pittsburgh who talked with me last night; confirming along with others that it is God's will for me to be here in this situation at home. He asked me if I'm "suffering" in this situation as it being a sign of God's will.
As with anything else if our own weaknesses faults and sins are causing needless pain it is better to avoid that kind of trial.
The lyrics here and the song itself kind of say it all; as we want to get out of here but I know; as a woman of faith you will probably want to exhort me to be patient; not having an "escapism" mentality; etc.
What I am saying; I guess is that the hope of eternal glory as Paul stated in immense trials beyond anything I have ever experienced that the eternal weight of glory far surpasses our earthly trials. There is some consolation in areas of my life where I have endured decades of struggle that there will be at last recognition for things no one knows; and things I was unjustly accused of; times I was robbed; mistreated; etc. It is only worth it for His glory; I'll leave it to others to be icons such as Mother Theresa.
Part of my struggle was with a brother close to my aforementioned friend who had a bitter departure after visiting him this summer over a doctrinal matter. I'm praying forhim
Acts 17:2 - And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
In Verse 2, it tells us that according to Paul's custom that he went in unto the Jews in the synagogue, and for three Sabbath days, he was reasoning with them.
The English text says "reasoned," but it is actually in the Imperfect Tense in the Greek. He continually reasoned with them from out of the scriptures.
Again, the scriptures are always emphasized for us that the ministry increased and prospered because of the ministry through God's word.
Acts 17:4 - And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
It says some of them believed. Please allow me to share with you some technical points about the translation. It's not the normal word for believe. It is literally the word persuasion.
And some of them were persuaded, and consorted, or joined themselves with Paul and Silas;
So, Luke is emphasizing that Paul ministered from out of the Old Testament scriptures, and he was persuasive. He has persuaded them to believe, and they joined themselves with Paul and Silas;
and of the devout Greeks.
The word devout means worshipping, and it is another name for a Gentile who has joined up with a Jewish person, and they are worshipping together, a great multitude of devout Greeks, and of the chief women, chief meaning leaders of the women, not a few. That's the Greek way of saying many of them!
Acts 15:38 - But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
But Paul thought, and that is in the Imperfect Tense. Paul was continually thinking this is not good to take him with them, who departed, and departed here means defection in Greek. So, Paul and Barnabas are really going nose to nose here.
I mean Paul is flat out calling John Mark a deserter, not just somebody who went home. He says, it's not good to take him. He defected last time from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
And that's what Paul is looking at, is that he went through Cyprus with us through the good time, but when it came to the hard times, he wanted to turn around and go back.
Acts 16:16 - And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination, and in the Greek text, it is called the spirit of python, a snake! It's the spirit of python.
In Greek mythology, Apollos won a victory over his enemy and in his celebration, he decided to embed himself into a body of a python.
So, they always felt that a demonic spirit, a pythonic spirit could indwell someone, and even though it is a snake, things could come out well in the human.
Check this out: A spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by fortune telling: That's where it comes from.
But please note, because you know the spirits not going to stay there, right? With Paul there? Notice that once the demonic spirit's cast out, she can't tell fortunes anymore, which means with the demonic spirit, she can tell people's fortunes. She was good at it!
Satan can give people the ability whether it is generalized or not to see in the future.
Acts 15:19 - Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
You see the word to? It is literally upon in the Greek text. They are not turning to the Lord, they are turning upon Him. They are totally entrusting their lives upon the Lord.
Acts 15:24 - Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
The word souls is PSUCHE which is also translated minds. Who have subverted or troubled your minds, saying, you must be circumcised, and keep the law. Now here is something for you to underline: to whom we gave no such commandment.
Everybody that went out from Jerusalem and preached that you have to keep the law, they did not have the approval of the apostles in Jerusalem. Nor did they send them out. They went out on their own when they heard the Gentiles were being saved!
Acts 15:29 - That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
That little word (do) in the phrase "do well" is the Greek word PRASSO. It's not do. It is the word practice. If you make this your lifestyle, you'll do well.
And then it says "Fare ye well." It literally means may you prosper spiritually in these things.
Acts 15:5 - But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed. That's one word. It is in the Perfect Tense. It says those from out of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, which means that they had believed now for a long time.
It almost sounds like a contradiction. How can a Pharisee be a believer? But you see, that's the problem! They saw the truth, they received Jesus Christ as Messiah, but they couldn't let go of the old religion. They combined them. Many people do this today. Some have a tough time following the Lord because they can't leave the old religious system, or they try to combine it.
Acts 15:8 - And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
That little term "knows the hearts" is all one word in Greek. It is "heart-knower." In the Greek, it is in the Attributive Position. It's the heart-knower God.
Those are His attributes and characteristics. He knows everybody's heart. So, first of all, it is Gods choice. Secondly, it is based on God knowing everybody's heart.
What did this God the heart-knower do? He gave confirmation. He bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as He did unto us.
God's testimony was that He gave them the Holy Spirit. And all the way through the book of Acts, up until this time, we have seen that that has been the testimony. God has given them the Holy Spirit like He has given us they would say.
They didn't talk about their beliefs. They didn't talk about their doctrines. They talked about the one element that is the actual experience that saves someone, being born again.
It's not just belief. It's not just faith. It is not just correct doctrine, but rather being born of the Spirit of God, where Christ comes to live within.
Acts 15:2 - When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation. Dissension means resistance. And the Greek word for disputation is the word questioning.
So, there was resistance, and there was questioning, trying to bring the truth out with these people.
They determined, literally they ordained or appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and to the elders about this question.
Acts 15:4 - And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church. The word received in the Greek is literally the word welcomed.
Here comes Paul and Barnabas and the delegation from Antioch, and the church with "open arms" receives them. Even if they don't agree with them, that was their attitude towards them.
But notice that last little phrase "what God had done with them." That is the literal translation. It is not through them. It is with them. It denotes that they basically put their lives in the Lord's hands and said do with us as you please.
Always nice to hear from you! I would be happy to share my thoughts on this. My understanding is that if a Jew decided to leave Judaism to follow Christ, he would still be considered a Jew. The same would be true for a Gentile. If a Gentile decided to convert to Judaism, he would still be a Gentile. I hope that I didn't come across as saying that a Jew had to stop being a Jew or that a Gentile had to become a Jew. That was not the message I was sharing. I was presenting the fact that the Judaizers were coming in and spreading false teaching and telling the believers that they had to become a Jew and follow Jewish law in order to be saved. According to these legalist Judaizers, faith in Christ alone was not sufficient for salvation. They said you had to be circumcised (fleshly) and follow Jewish law to be saved. But no, I definitely did not say that a Jew who was a believer had to stop being a Jew or that a Gentile had to become a Jew. However, for a Jew to follow Christ, they had to renounce Judaism. A person cannot continue to be a strict follower of Jewish law and also follow Christ. The two do not mix!
Thanks again for following along in these studies. May we all continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through a continuous study of His word.
Thanks, brother, as we see through the New Testament Peter and James butting heads with Paul as we see in Acts 15, Paul even circumcised Timothy but he had a Jewish mother. We see before this when Peter came back and told the leaders in Jerusalem about how Cornelius and his family received the Holy Spirit, and he ate with them and they scorned him.
In Acts 15:19-21 James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, made the final decision on whether the Gentiles should be circumcised. The word sentence is Greek krino which means judge by making a judgment. This verdict applied only to these Gentile believers, and the Gentiles could go to the synagogues to hear the word read. This verdict did not apply to the Jews who were followers of Jesus not to say salvation is by works but is only by grace are we saved through faith, it is the gift of God: not of works, Ephesians 2:8-9.
I know this is a deep subject, but I do not see where the Jews who were believers in Jesus were to stop being Jews same as the Gentiles were not to become Jews. Any thoughts on this?
I feel trapped in this nightmare world. I try so hard to talk to God but it seems like there's never a response. I feel so stuck in an endless cycle of anxiety and doubt about my salvation. Am I just doomed? I certainly don't want to think so, but what to me seems like a lack of response doesn't help. Please anyone pray I break out of this cycle and whatever nightmare this is. Thank you.
I am glad so many come here asking for prayer. It is an honor for me to be part of what God is doing here as He hears our prayers and calls others to pray for the requests here. He will answer each request in the best way according to His will and purpose.
I hope matters are proceeding well concerning your parents. I continue to pray for you and them.
And you are right, there has not been much topical discussion here lately with the exception of Jesse's postings and that of Bennymjke. I know that God does direct all of creation sovereignly and that He will bring to this forum what He wishes according to the timing He determines. I do think that it may be a good thing for some of us to make notes and list possible topics we may wish to be discussed and lay them before the Lord. We can think over these topics over days and not just as an immediate response to what someone posts. We should definitely pray for God to reveal to us what or how we are to introduce as a topic of discussion. I am confident that God is using this forum for so many good things and we are building each other up daily in our participation. Blessings to you tonight. Talk with you tomorrow.
Surveying this page for the last 24 hours or so there is mostly prayer requests as contrasted with most times when there are commentaries on subjects with threads as the most common posting. I can relate to the individual with pressures taking care of his mom since both my parents are in their nineties; one physically in bad health and the other with dementia. It seems with many other prayers there are comments of witchcraft or general exhaustion because of the times we are living in. I would disagree with the statement that we are in the Tribulation however yet.
The desire for revival must be placed in balance with the understanding as others have brought out of the state of the church today. It is hard for those who are the remnant faithfully witnessing today to find a church for someone to attend quite often; as many who are faithful witnessing have a home church which in many cases may be the best thing today if after genuine effort no suitable place can be found with correct doctrine and showing love for the saints which the Lord expects of His people in fellowship.
It is HIS church; of course not our own invention and He stands at the door and knocks ( Rev. 3:20). This would be written to the individual in the lukewarm church as well as to anyone heeding the call of His soon return. The gates of hell cannot prevail against His true people ( Matt. 16:18). These days it is evident who is "on fire" in the Lord and who isn't; just listen to conversations before a church service to confirm that. I actually told a sister in the Lord that my struggles and her prayers along with that of a few others was actually making them stronger and to their benefit. We should be fighting spiritual warfare in our individual lives avoiding sin as well as pleading for others. If we seek Him we will find the victory as He has overcome the world. We do well to remember that fact because we are in the time of great falling away and apostacy.
Now, if you will trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour, pray this simple prayer from your heart:
"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I deserve to pay my own sin debt, but I do believe that You died for my sins and to pay the debt that I owe. Today, the best I know how, I trust You as my Saviour. I will depend on You from this moment on for my salvation. Amen.
Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, Do not let the lying devil tell you got plenty of time. Today, is the time to ask the Lord, right now today.. Now, if you will trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, pray this simple prayer from your heart:
"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I deserve to pay my own sin debt, but I do believe that You died for me to pay the debt that I owe. Today, the best I know how I trust You as my Savior. I will depend on You from this moment on for my salvation. Amen. Don't let the devil trick you out of eternity. he is a liar!!!!!!
The devil hates God so much, that he is trying to get every soul to go to HELL !!! Because that is where the devil will spend all eternity. God, The Lord loves you. Whosoever calls on the Lord shall be saved!!! Put your name were it says Whosoever, that is you and me and all the rest that called on the Lord. We all got save the same way...
[ COME LORD JESUS]
God loves you so much, God sent His only begotten son to be the perfect sacrifice, righteousness sacrifice, righteousness Blood. To get saved by. There is no other way.
I am writing this message to tell everyone that invisible evil demons spirits are torturing me. they come in a soft whisper calling your name, but please do not answer because they come to torture, rape, and trick and violate you and try to force you into denouncing god. and they will also attack your family members with torture to try to force you into denouncing jesus. please pray for me and all christian! and please read this message and remember it for your own safety because we are in a spiritual war and the end is near! please remember they come with a soft whisper calling your name! they are coming after christians!
If your answer is anything other than, "Yes I'm absolutely certain that my sins are forgiven and that Heaven will be my home," then this important message is just for you. The Bible teaches that you need to know and believe these things to settle this matter of your eternal destination:
You must accept that you are a sinner.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" ( Romans 3:23). No one is exempt from this indictment. Everyone has sinned. Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." No one is perfect and no one can live up to God's perfect standard. We are sinners by nature.
You must accept that as a sinner you owe a penalty.
"For the wages of sin is death" ( Romans 6:23a). Because of our sin we owe a debt. This debt is a spiritual death or separation from God in the lake of fire known as Hell. Hell is not a figment of someone's imagination or only a figurative term. Hell is very real. It is a literal burning place. It's not a place where you go because your friends will be there and you want to have a good time. It is a dark, lonely, seething, burning place, and it never ends. It continues to burn for all time.
The worst part is, there is nothing you or I can do on our own to avoid it. Outside of Jesus, it is our final destination. If you are depending on your church membership to get you to Heaven, beware; it's not enough. If you pray a lot hoping to get to Heaven, don't depend on that; it's not enough either. Even if you give a lot of money to a church, it's not enough to gain Heaven. The word "believe" means to trust, to depend on, to rely on. To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ means that you accept the fact that you are a sinner, that as a sinner you owe the sin penalty, and that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and arose again on the third day to pay the debt you owe.
Hi,i am back on after being away for many months on here.I have been sick with high blood pressure and type2 diabetes.i have been trying fervently to care for my 76 year old mother.I have tried and tried and tried to care for her.And i now find her being taken to the hospital again ,totally helpless and miserable .i have prayed to Jesus for her healing and she is not better ,but worse and very very unhappy.I pray she will agree to enter a nursing care facility now and just stay.Not because i dont want to help but because i am tired and have gotten much sicker in the years of caregiving of her.i truly pray the Lord will impress upon her the toll caring for her so long has taken on my overall health and my spirit.I humbly ask you to pray for me this week.i need it desperately,im am so spent physically ,i could probably sleep for a week .
Please pray for each of my girls as they have had a challenging week. Especially my oldest who has been wronged. Walk beside each of them and guide them down the correct path. We are thankful for all that you have given us as a family. Amen
Father God I ask that You Bless me to a great intercessor for Your people and for myself and my loved ones. I ask that You use me in all the ways You need and that my prayers are always HOLY GHOST led and I ask for a covering over me and my family members I pray for daily and often to be protected from all attacks the enemy is trying to come against us and I ask for great protection over my mom, she is going through witchcraft attacks that I seen very tanglibly and I ask that she have great protection over her now and the rest of her life and that she recover from all things trying to take her out in LORD JESUS CHRIST NAME, amen. I ask that THE FATHER Bless all who intercedes in prayer in LORD JESUS CHRIST NAME, amen.
Talk About Suffering
Song by
Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice
Talk about suffering here below
And let's keep a-followin' Jesus
Talk about suffering here below
And let's keep a-lovin' Jesus
The gospel train is comin'
Now don't you want to go
And leave this world of sorrow
And troubles here below
Oh, can't you hear it father?
And don't you want to go
And leave this world of sorrow
And troubles here below
Talk about suffering here below
And let's keep a-followin' Jesus
Talk about suffering here below
And let's keep a-lovin' Jesus
Oh, can't you hear it mother?
Now don't you want to go
I prefer the Franz family rendition along with many other songs they perform.
I mention this because of my friend in Pittsburgh who talked with me last night; confirming along with others that it is God's will for me to be here in this situation at home. He asked me if I'm "suffering" in this situation as it being a sign of God's will.
As with anything else if our own weaknesses faults and sins are causing needless pain it is better to avoid that kind of trial.
The lyrics here and the song itself kind of say it all; as we want to get out of here but I know; as a woman of faith you will probably want to exhort me to be patient; not having an "escapism" mentality; etc.
What I am saying; I guess is that the hope of eternal glory as Paul stated in immense trials beyond anything I have ever experienced that the eternal weight of glory far surpasses our earthly trials. There is some consolation in areas of my life where I have endured decades of struggle that there will be at last recognition for things no one knows; and things I was unjustly accused of; times I was robbed; mistreated; etc. It is only worth it for His glory; I'll leave it to others to be icons such as Mother Theresa.
Part of my struggle was with a brother close to my aforementioned friend who had a bitter departure after visiting him this summer over a doctrinal matter. I'm praying forhim
Acts 17:2 - And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures,
In Verse 2, it tells us that according to Paul's custom that he went in unto the Jews in the synagogue, and for three Sabbath days, he was reasoning with them.
The English text says "reasoned," but it is actually in the Imperfect Tense in the Greek. He continually reasoned with them from out of the scriptures.
Again, the scriptures are always emphasized for us that the ministry increased and prospered because of the ministry through God's word.
Acts 17:4 - And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.
It says some of them believed. Please allow me to share with you some technical points about the translation. It's not the normal word for believe. It is literally the word persuasion.
And some of them were persuaded, and consorted, or joined themselves with Paul and Silas;
So, Luke is emphasizing that Paul ministered from out of the Old Testament scriptures, and he was persuasive. He has persuaded them to believe, and they joined themselves with Paul and Silas;
and of the devout Greeks.
The word devout means worshipping, and it is another name for a Gentile who has joined up with a Jewish person, and they are worshipping together, a great multitude of devout Greeks, and of the chief women, chief meaning leaders of the women, not a few. That's the Greek way of saying many of them!
Acts 15:38 - But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
But Paul thought, and that is in the Imperfect Tense. Paul was continually thinking this is not good to take him with them, who departed, and departed here means defection in Greek. So, Paul and Barnabas are really going nose to nose here.
I mean Paul is flat out calling John Mark a deserter, not just somebody who went home. He says, it's not good to take him. He defected last time from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.
And that's what Paul is looking at, is that he went through Cyprus with us through the good time, but when it came to the hard times, he wanted to turn around and go back.
Acts 16:16 - And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination, and in the Greek text, it is called the spirit of python, a snake! It's the spirit of python.
In Greek mythology, Apollos won a victory over his enemy and in his celebration, he decided to embed himself into a body of a python.
So, they always felt that a demonic spirit, a pythonic spirit could indwell someone, and even though it is a snake, things could come out well in the human.
Check this out: A spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by fortune telling: That's where it comes from.
But please note, because you know the spirits not going to stay there, right? With Paul there? Notice that once the demonic spirit's cast out, she can't tell fortunes anymore, which means with the demonic spirit, she can tell people's fortunes. She was good at it!
Satan can give people the ability whether it is generalized or not to see in the future.
Acts 15:19 - Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
You see the word to? It is literally upon in the Greek text. They are not turning to the Lord, they are turning upon Him. They are totally entrusting their lives upon the Lord.
Acts 15:24 - Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:
The word souls is PSUCHE which is also translated minds. Who have subverted or troubled your minds, saying, you must be circumcised, and keep the law. Now here is something for you to underline: to whom we gave no such commandment.
Everybody that went out from Jerusalem and preached that you have to keep the law, they did not have the approval of the apostles in Jerusalem. Nor did they send them out. They went out on their own when they heard the Gentiles were being saved!
Acts 15:29 - That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.
That little word (do) in the phrase "do well" is the Greek word PRASSO. It's not do. It is the word practice. If you make this your lifestyle, you'll do well.
And then it says "Fare ye well." It literally means may you prosper spiritually in these things.
Acts 15:5 - But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.
But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed. That's one word. It is in the Perfect Tense. It says those from out of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, which means that they had believed now for a long time.
It almost sounds like a contradiction. How can a Pharisee be a believer? But you see, that's the problem! They saw the truth, they received Jesus Christ as Messiah, but they couldn't let go of the old religion. They combined them. Many people do this today. Some have a tough time following the Lord because they can't leave the old religious system, or they try to combine it.
Acts 15:8 - And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
That little term "knows the hearts" is all one word in Greek. It is "heart-knower." In the Greek, it is in the Attributive Position. It's the heart-knower God.
Those are His attributes and characteristics. He knows everybody's heart. So, first of all, it is Gods choice. Secondly, it is based on God knowing everybody's heart.
What did this God the heart-knower do? He gave confirmation. He bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as He did unto us.
God's testimony was that He gave them the Holy Spirit. And all the way through the book of Acts, up until this time, we have seen that that has been the testimony. God has given them the Holy Spirit like He has given us they would say.
They didn't talk about their beliefs. They didn't talk about their doctrines. They talked about the one element that is the actual experience that saves someone, being born again.
It's not just belief. It's not just faith. It is not just correct doctrine, but rather being born of the Spirit of God, where Christ comes to live within.
(Acts Part 36):
Acts 15:2 - When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation. Dissension means resistance. And the Greek word for disputation is the word questioning.
So, there was resistance, and there was questioning, trying to bring the truth out with these people.
They determined, literally they ordained or appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and to the elders about this question.
Acts 15:4 - And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church. The word received in the Greek is literally the word welcomed.
Here comes Paul and Barnabas and the delegation from Antioch, and the church with "open arms" receives them. Even if they don't agree with them, that was their attitude towards them.
But notice that last little phrase "what God had done with them." That is the literal translation. It is not through them. It is with them. It denotes that they basically put their lives in the Lord's hands and said do with us as you please.
Always nice to hear from you! I would be happy to share my thoughts on this. My understanding is that if a Jew decided to leave Judaism to follow Christ, he would still be considered a Jew. The same would be true for a Gentile. If a Gentile decided to convert to Judaism, he would still be a Gentile. I hope that I didn't come across as saying that a Jew had to stop being a Jew or that a Gentile had to become a Jew. That was not the message I was sharing. I was presenting the fact that the Judaizers were coming in and spreading false teaching and telling the believers that they had to become a Jew and follow Jewish law in order to be saved. According to these legalist Judaizers, faith in Christ alone was not sufficient for salvation. They said you had to be circumcised (fleshly) and follow Jewish law to be saved. But no, I definitely did not say that a Jew who was a believer had to stop being a Jew or that a Gentile had to become a Jew. However, for a Jew to follow Christ, they had to renounce Judaism. A person cannot continue to be a strict follower of Jewish law and also follow Christ. The two do not mix!
Thanks again for following along in these studies. May we all continue to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through a continuous study of His word.
Blessings!
Thanks, brother, as we see through the New Testament Peter and James butting heads with Paul as we see in Acts 15, Paul even circumcised Timothy but he had a Jewish mother. We see before this when Peter came back and told the leaders in Jerusalem about how Cornelius and his family received the Holy Spirit, and he ate with them and they scorned him.
In Acts 15:19-21 James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, made the final decision on whether the Gentiles should be circumcised. The word sentence is Greek krino which means judge by making a judgment. This verdict applied only to these Gentile believers, and the Gentiles could go to the synagogues to hear the word read. This verdict did not apply to the Jews who were followers of Jesus not to say salvation is by works but is only by grace are we saved through faith, it is the gift of God: not of works, Ephesians 2:8-9.
I know this is a deep subject, but I do not see where the Jews who were believers in Jesus were to stop being Jews same as the Gentiles were not to become Jews. Any thoughts on this?
God bless,
RLW
.
3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
Thank You LORD, for the salvation I have in Your Son, the LORD JESUS CHRIST.
GOD to shine His face on all who call and worship Him in truth and in spirit.
May our nation be prayerful in CHRIST name as we go to the polls in November.
October 19, 2024 Happy Holidays!
May we honor and glorify You daily in all we say and do.
GOD to shine His face on all who call on Him; and be gloriously blessed.
Let Your wisdom show in our up coming elections; help us to pray in thanksgiving and worship You according to scripture.
October 19, 2024
So happy to hear of the new baby! Praise the Lord. Will be praying for Deanna and baby.
I will praying for you and your mother tonight and tomorrow.
You must be so uncomfortable. I will be paying for you.
I am glad so many come here asking for prayer. It is an honor for me to be part of what God is doing here as He hears our prayers and calls others to pray for the requests here. He will answer each request in the best way according to His will and purpose.
I hope matters are proceeding well concerning your parents. I continue to pray for you and them.
And you are right, there has not been much topical discussion here lately with the exception of Jesse's postings and that of Bennymjke. I know that God does direct all of creation sovereignly and that He will bring to this forum what He wishes according to the timing He determines. I do think that it may be a good thing for some of us to make notes and list possible topics we may wish to be discussed and lay them before the Lord. We can think over these topics over days and not just as an immediate response to what someone posts. We should definitely pray for God to reveal to us what or how we are to introduce as a topic of discussion. I am confident that God is using this forum for so many good things and we are building each other up daily in our participation. Blessings to you tonight. Talk with you tomorrow.
Surveying this page for the last 24 hours or so there is mostly prayer requests as contrasted with most times when there are commentaries on subjects with threads as the most common posting. I can relate to the individual with pressures taking care of his mom since both my parents are in their nineties; one physically in bad health and the other with dementia. It seems with many other prayers there are comments of witchcraft or general exhaustion because of the times we are living in. I would disagree with the statement that we are in the Tribulation however yet.
The desire for revival must be placed in balance with the understanding as others have brought out of the state of the church today. It is hard for those who are the remnant faithfully witnessing today to find a church for someone to attend quite often; as many who are faithful witnessing have a home church which in many cases may be the best thing today if after genuine effort no suitable place can be found with correct doctrine and showing love for the saints which the Lord expects of His people in fellowship.
It is HIS church; of course not our own invention and He stands at the door and knocks ( Rev. 3:20). This would be written to the individual in the lukewarm church as well as to anyone heeding the call of His soon return. The gates of hell cannot prevail against His true people ( Matt. 16:18). These days it is evident who is "on fire" in the Lord and who isn't; just listen to conversations before a church service to confirm that. I actually told a sister in the Lord that my struggles and her prayers along with that of a few others was actually making them stronger and to their benefit. We should be fighting spiritual warfare in our individual lives avoiding sin as well as pleading for others. If we seek Him we will find the victory as He has overcome the world. We do well to remember that fact because we are in the time of great falling away and apostacy.
"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I deserve to pay my own sin debt, but I do believe that You died for my sins and to pay the debt that I owe. Today, the best I know how, I trust You as my Saviour. I will depend on You from this moment on for my salvation. Amen.
Accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, Do not let the lying devil tell you got plenty of time. Today, is the time to ask the Lord, right now today.. Now, if you will trust Jesus Christ as your Savior, pray this simple prayer from your heart:
"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I deserve to pay my own sin debt, but I do believe that You died for me to pay the debt that I owe. Today, the best I know how I trust You as my Savior. I will depend on You from this moment on for my salvation. Amen. Don't let the devil trick you out of eternity. he is a liar!!!!!!
The devil hates God so much, that he is trying to get every soul to go to HELL !!! Because that is where the devil will spend all eternity. God, The Lord loves you. Whosoever calls on the Lord shall be saved!!! Put your name were it says Whosoever, that is you and me and all the rest that called on the Lord. We all got save the same way...
[ COME LORD JESUS]
God loves you so much, God sent His only begotten son to be the perfect sacrifice, righteousness sacrifice, righteousness Blood. To get saved by. There is no other way.
If your answer is anything other than, "Yes I'm absolutely certain that my sins are forgiven and that Heaven will be my home," then this important message is just for you. The Bible teaches that you need to know and believe these things to settle this matter of your eternal destination:
You must accept that you are a sinner.
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" ( Romans 3:23). No one is exempt from this indictment. Everyone has sinned. Romans 5:12 says, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." No one is perfect and no one can live up to God's perfect standard. We are sinners by nature.
You must accept that as a sinner you owe a penalty.
"For the wages of sin is death" ( Romans 6:23a). Because of our sin we owe a debt. This debt is a spiritual death or separation from God in the lake of fire known as Hell. Hell is not a figment of someone's imagination or only a figurative term. Hell is very real. It is a literal burning place. It's not a place where you go because your friends will be there and you want to have a good time. It is a dark, lonely, seething, burning place, and it never ends. It continues to burn for all time.
The worst part is, there is nothing you or I can do on our own to avoid it. Outside of Jesus, it is our final destination. If you are depending on your church membership to get you to Heaven, beware; it's not enough. If you pray a lot hoping to get to Heaven, don't depend on that; it's not enough either. Even if you give a lot of money to a church, it's not enough to gain Heaven. The word "believe" means to trust, to depend on, to rely on. To believe on the Lord Jesus Christ means that you accept the fact that you are a sinner, that as a sinner you owe the sin penalty, and that Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and arose again on the third day to pay the debt you owe.
till the next day, then I do it all over again..I see the doctor again Monday. I am 70 my. I
.clothes are falling off of me.
Thank you Cecil
I second Brother Chris reply to you.
Your continued loving presence in his life is very important.
Patience and longsuffering is the key.
Keep praying for him and let your visual relationship with God be a testimony to him when all else fails.
God bless you.