Howdy
BELIEVING LIES There are two big lies that Christians tend to believe that change how we act in a negative way: 1) Our past and present failings, inadequacy, and fallen nature make us unworthy to speak to people about Christ. 2) Even though works do not grant you entry into Heaven, you can enter into Heaven without works. We have all heard people say that "The Church is full of hypocrites" or, "If so and so is a Christian then why does he behave that way?" Christians hear this and think that because they themselves are not perfect they are not fit to share the Gospel with their friends and family. We tend to think we will turn people away instead of draw them in to the faith. And, after all, that is the pastor's job. But what did Jesus say? "Then it happened that as Jesus was reclining at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were dining with Jesus and His disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to His disciples, “Why is your Teacher eating with the tax collectors and sinners?” But when Jesus heard this, He said, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick." Matthew 9:10-12 We are all sick. None of us is worthy. It is only by the grace of God and Jesus sacrifice that we enter His presence. And He tells us: “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you...” Matthew 28:19-20 He does not say only preachers and dedicated people of the cloth should do this. This command is directed at ALL Christians. And if there is any doubt that we are all qualified, The Apostle Peter says this about ALL Christians: "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." 1 Peter 2:9 It also says in Hebrews: “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let’s hold firmly to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let’s approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:14-16 We are called to tell everyone about Jesus. There is no intermediary between us and Him. There is no priest to do this job for us. We are the priests, every one of us! It does not matter how much or how little you know. It does not matter what you have or have not done. Whether you are a preacher, a construction worker, a politician, a convict, a child, a grandparent, or any other kind of person, you are commanded to preach the good news to the world. There are very few things that Jesus specifically called all of us to do and this is one of the most important. It was the last thing He said before he returned to Heaven to prepare a place for us. We are not called to save sinners. That is the job of God alone. We are told to proclaim his message. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that convicts and brings to repentance. We are just the messengers. The Apostle Paul wrote "I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth. 8 Now he who plants and he who waters are one; but each will receive his own [a]reward according to his own labor." 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 Jesus made a promise along with this command. He said: "...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:20 We can not earn our way into Heaven. Nothing say or do will gain us entry. Only perfection would do this but none of us is perfect "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” If this is true, then how does one gain entry into Heaven? “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9 “For ‘whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” Romans 10:13 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:38 So there it is 1) Recognize your guilt 2) Pray to Jesus to get forgiveness for your guilt. 3) Commit to change your ways and live by God's laws. The first act of obedience should always be baptism if possible. Pretty simple and straight forward right? Except that it is not that easy. While it is true that works do not get you into heaven, it is also true that if you are true to your faith, there will be works. Works are not a precondition to salvation, but rather a byproduct thereof. If you truly are saved, then your actions will reflect that change. You won't just sit on the couch and bask in your good fortune while others keep moving towards eternal damnation. It would be like watching as your neighbor's house burns down with them inside, knowing you can do something to help, and doing nothing. You CAN NOT live a life of Faith without works. "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." James 2:26 Jesus said "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter." Matthew 7:17-21 There are many who think they are saved but are deceived. #Bible #Christian #Christ #Jesus #God #HolySpirit #Works #Grace #SolaGratia #Fruits #Evangelism #GoodNews #Peter #Paul #Romans #RomansRoad
Just for the sake of discussion: --->IF : Abolish the FED --->THEN : What? What would be your practical way to address the monetary situation that resulted from this change? #FED #Fiat #BTC #BitCoin #Infation #MonetarySystem #Currency #Dollar #CentralBank #Bank
Washington State court rules that data collected by Flock cameras installed by Law Enforcement agencies are public records and are subject to the public records act. This means citizens can request this data via the state equivalent of FOIA. Government now stating that would be a #InvasionOfPrivacy Imagine that. #OverReach #Tyranny #BigBrother #MassSurveillance #PoliceState https://youtu.be/1vQn4MWBln0?si=o0Yo3qjmzkjfrVLt
Predestination vs Free Will This is something that can not be completely understood. It is something that I struggle with. Some things we know about God from the Bible: ○ All things are possible for God. ○ He knows everything that has, is, and ever will happen. ○ He is just. ○ He wants all mankind to be saved. ○ He predestined those he had called to himself. All of these things are true. Wrapping my head around them is not possible without admitting that I don't fully understand. 1) If we freely choose to accept his forgiveness, then how can we be predestined. 2) If only those who are predestined and called are capable of choosing, then that would mean that there is no free choice. 3) If God is just, how dose it make sense for those who don't have the capability to choose to be punished/ rewarded. I just have to accept that what seems like a paradox to me must not be for God. We are called. We are predestined. AND We choose freely to answer the call. I sure am glad He understands it all. #Predestination #FreeWill #Calvinism #Calvin #Reformed #Bible #Luther #Christian #God #Jesus
How popular and avaliable is #NOSTR in #England right now? The #UK would be a great place to demonstrate the #censorship defeating properties of this protocol. People are not hearing the details pdf the #riots and #protests and how widespread they are. Are they cracking down on NOSTR there? Just curious. #AntiCensorship #FreeSpeech #FreePress #IndependentJournalism #MSM #AltMedia #UnitedKingdom #EuropeanUnion
Quote from The Last Full Measure https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0783640/
A woman without a man (or a man without a woman) will not pass on her (his) genes. The situation will eventually correct itself. The natural order will reassert itself. This is by design.
-----LIFE LESSON----- Imagine that you are doing something that you want to be doing but is unnecessary or can wait. You notice that there are other people around you that are working on something else. When you notice, the thought occurs to you that these other people might want your help. This is not a random thought. It is your conscience trying to tell you that you should offer to help (in a sincere way, not just going through the motions). This is something that some people never learn. It is part of growing up and becoming a desired part of the community/family. I hope this helps someone. #LifeLesson #GrowingUp #Adulting #Family #Community #Conscience
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: Government forces "at war" with cartel forces. City is a war zone with cartel forces using drones to counterattack. 100+ dead as of 14 hours ago... https://www.youtube.com/live/nVNIXIWib7w #Cartel #NarcoTerrorist #DrugWar #Brazil #Rio #RioDeJaneiro #TOUSiTV
It's good to push yourself. Good Job!
Welcome to ImYour Huckleberry spacestr profile!
About Me
For the moment, let's leave religion out of this discussion. I will come back to it later. All Humans(people), by nature, have the same rights; not dependent on when, where, how, or what gender they are born. These Rights supersede all national affiliations and national laws. These are natural laws. They existed before there were governments and will remain after. First and foremost, All people own themselves. All people are entitled to the fruits of their own labor. All associations, transactions, contracts, agreements, sales, etc. of Any kind, for Any reason must be voluntary. (Non-Aggression Principle or NAP - Aggression/Coercion should not be used to force anyone to do, say, or agree to Anything. The ONLY time aggression may be used is in the defense of the life and rights of yourself (or others) from another party initiating aggression.) Theft of any kind is wrong. These represent my ETHICAL stance on way human society should be. I understand that this model of society does not exist on any large scale today and may not come to exist in my lifetime, but this is something to strive towards. _________________ So, what does this mean and how did I come to these beliefs? Human beings, by nature, have the right of Self Ownership: Nobody else can decide for you how you should live your life. Only You can decide what's best for you. There is no other person, no human authority, higher than yourself in your life. If you own yourself, then every other human being also has that same Self-Ownership. Therefore, You have No right to act as an authority on someone else's life without their consent. You can not tell someone else how to live their life without their consent. You can not use force or coercion on another person in any way, except in the defense of the life or property of another. THINK HARD HERE IF You have no RIGHT to dictate to the life of another person, THEN you have no ability to convey that right to somebody else (e.g. through an election, etc.) For Example: You have no RIGHT to take something that is mine. Since you don't have the RIGHT to take my stuff, you can not give that right to someone else to use on your behalf. So, you can not bestow the RIGHT (which we have already decided you don't have) on the government and call it a Tax. The concept of governance is that the people being governed confer their rights upon authority figures to act on their behalf VOLUNTARILY. But, you can only give what you already have. You CAN NOT confer to another person a right that you do not already have to use/exercise on your behalf. If you are NOT a voluntary participant in a nation, an agent of the government (tax collector, police officer, etc.) can not legitimately come to your house and have the RIGHT to take your stuff because nobody who voted for this person or put that person in charge had the authority to grant that right to begin with. Voluntary Associations: No person should be forced to participate in anything that they do not want to be a part of. That includes but is not limited to: Governments Religions Marriages Armed Forces Businesses Clubs or ANY OTHER group or activity for any reason. If you agree with these beliefs, if you share this ETHICAL stance then you might be surprised to know that you are an Anarchist/Voluntaryist. _______________ I used to say that I am proud to be an American. You can be proud of the people in your country, proud of the accomplishments and advances her people have made, and at the same time recognize that there are flaws inherent to the system. I think that our country was founded on good principles, but, over the years, these principles have been sidelined by the corporate and political interests of this world. At the time this country was conceived there were a great many difficulties to be overcome but there were fewer rules and laws. We believed in individual liberty and created a nation to protect that liberty. The founders did their best, but just as with all other things in this world, advances have been made and new ways of thinking have emerged. The founders did what they thought necessary at the time, but I highly doubt that they would be pleased at what their creation has become. Now, instead of listing the things we are Not allowed to do, it seems we list the things we Are allowed to do. The laws and regulations in place today are oppressive, tyrannical, and unnecessary. The "taxes" the government steals from us are excessive. The "taxes" collected from us are not put to good or even effective use. The use of our armed forces to promote our ECONOMIC interests is deplorable. Our whole system is CORRUPT. IN SHORT, we have turned into the very monster we fought so hard to escape. This Country is in dire need of a MAJOR shift in the way we do things. It is inevitable. If we don't fix the problem, the whole system is going to burn down on its own. And on its way down we will lose more and more of our liberty until it gets to the point where ANYTHING that the powers-that-be offer us will be better than our current situation. I believe that it is still possible to make a difference from within the system, but that it will not happen, so I prepare for the worst. The average American is blind to the problem. The average person cares less about freedom and more about security. Most people these days won't complain unless there is some major shift from their comfort zone. The average person would rather be told what to do than take control of their own fate, make their own decisions, and live with the consequences. They are Sheep. ___________ I am a Christian, not because my family is Christian or because all the cool people are Christian, but because I made that choice for myself after deep thought and study on the subject. Nobody forced me to make this decision. It is not POSSIBLE to force someone to be Christian/Muslim/Buddhist/etc. It is a belief one has. ________________ Do I think that there should be laws prohibiting behavior that I find immoral? Insofar as it does not involve anyone else or their property then No. 1) Speaking specifically about the United States: There is a very clear doctrine from the very beginning of the country that there shall be no officially sanctioned and endorsed religion in the USA. This creates a problem for the enacting and enforcing of laws that are based on moral principles based upon religious teachings and context. Which religion is to be the model for governmental morality? Christianity? Islam? Buddhism? To base a law on "Morality" is in direct conflict with our founding principles. There are many behaviors that I find morally wrong and think are ultimately damaging to the individual and society at large. But as long as those behaviors, decisions, and actions are confined to oneself and other voluntary participants then I do not think the government should be able to declare them legal or illegal. If you allow the government to base it's laws on a particular religious understanding of morality, then later that same government could later use a different religion as the model. We must base our laws on protection of life, liberty, and property only. Limit the government and attempt to prevent it's overreach. 2) Using laws to force morality: I don't believe in legislating morality. I don't think that someone who doesn't steal, simply because it it against the law, is a moral person. They are surely a pragmatic person, but moral? The moral person would not steal, regardless of the law, because they believe it to be wrong. A person's belief or lack thereof in a higher power is not and should not be dependent upon the laws currently in place in society. In fact, it could be argued that obedience to secular laws could make a person complacent and leave them vulnerable to a false sense of eternal security. I don't need laws to know Right from Wrong. __________________ Render unto Caesar... I pay my taxes. I don't want government thugs breaking down my door and hauling me off to a cage because I didn't want to let them steal the fruits of my labor. As long as the situation remains the same here I will continue to pay my taxes.
Interests
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