Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
The Dragon's Cave: Introducing (e) WLIFE: WaterIsLife.com (Ken Surrit...
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
First of all, you didn't really answer my previous question regarding whether humans are animals at all... But here is a new question: You seem very gullible, and criticize others based on a 2,000 year old fairy tale. Do you still believe in Santa?
When God blesses you with children ,.or perhaps if He already has ,.you will most certainly find that Santa ,.is very well alive in their hearts and minds ,.unless of course your evil spirited and doubtful nature crushes their poor little hearts and minds for the sake of proving your prideful self as all powerful and wise ,..the choice will be up to you ,...I suppose you must have seen right through your parents lies as some sort of conspiracy against you to try and get you to believe in something without any logical proof or a more verifiable source,...?
Why do you base almost all of your proof among two sources, being the Bible and unverified religious youtube videos? You understand that, logically speaking, those cannot be taken as undeniable proof. Could you please use other, more verified sources?
I must say first that I believe God to be THE most verified source !
,..and I hope you are not willing to let your logic lead you right into hell,..
,..I do however understand how you feel ,.and even how you are thinking ,.as i myself such a short time ago ,.but for the grace of God ,.was still there,..
Jeremiah 8:9 The wise will be put to shame; they will be dismayed and trapped. Since they have rejected the word of the LORD, what kind of wisdom do they have?
1 Corinthians 1:27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
Hebrews 3:12 See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.
Wow ,.you doubt God and you also doubt youtube ,. what hope do you have in this brave new world ,.lol,.?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppIgFEFUpjw
You also appear to doubt your self ,.for are you not brave enough to ask these questions outside of anonymity ,.though I have a pretty good idea of who you are ,.tis a shame you choose to refuse to understand who you are and could be. I thought atheists were all proud about their blind faith ?
Ecclesiastes 12:14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.
Mark 4:22 For whatever is hidden is meant to be disclosed, and whatever is concealed is meant to be brought out into the open.
Matthew 10:26 "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.
You want a more verified source ,.and I imagine that what you consider and define as verified is something that is scientifically proven ,.yet if it is not already too late for you ,.when science does prove the fact that God exists ,.still all you will have is proof of His existence ,.and you will still be missing what is needed and required to gain eternal life and to know and experience God's love and plans for your life,.and that missing thing is receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned
John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.
1 John 3:23 And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.
Ezekiel 33:11 Say to them, 'As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, O house of Israel?'
Acts 2:38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is God ,.He brought with Him ,.from God ,.the gift of Truth ,.and Salvation ,.which is the Gospel ,..that God loves you ,..
John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
,.that we all have sinned against Him ,..
Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man's sin,.and the only hope of we have of bridging the gulf which separates us from God
Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us
1 Corinthians 15:3 I passed on to you the most important points of doctrine that I had received: Christ died to take away our sins as the Scriptures predicted
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.
We must receive Christ through Faith ,.
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
2 Corinthians 4:4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
Ephesians 1:18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Ecclesiastes 11:9 Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment
Would you rather have proof of God ,..or to know Him ?
(P.S. - if you your self are seeking proof of God ,.you are not an atheist ,.you are an agnostic ,.for if you truly believed there was no God ,.why would you keep searching for evidence of Him ,.do you doubt your own disbelief ? )
will someone that has been good and kind all their life go to hell because they have sinned (a bit)? tell me one person that has not sinned in their life.
Wow Bootcoot ,.you really ask some doozys ! I will try my best here ,.and like always will be asking for some help from our Heavenly Father above ,.and thanking Him,.for wisdom and guidance from the Holy Spirit
This question touches on a few of the points that many still "debate" between Calvinism and Arminianism ,..
http://www.flickr.com/photos/53418772@N02/4989501556/
that picture is taken from the Mark Driscoll sermon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--iC5KHqaZk
The "P" in "TULIP" ,.an anagram that represents the five main points of Calvinism ,.stands for ,.basically ,.what you may have heard said as "once saved ,.always saved"
Jesus ,.was the only one to live a life free of sin ,.and Thank God because this is what was needed as a sacrifice in order to restore the possibility of a righteous relationship between man and God again ,..
Ecclesiastes 7:20 There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 6:1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace?
Romans 6:15 What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!
So now ,.if you have been saved, born again into Christ,.and have sinned,.you will hopefully find yourself quick to repent ,.and the work of the Holy Spirit will be making all of your sin,.exceedingly sinful,..helping us to do this,..
I believe that repentance ,.literally ,.the turning away from sin ,.and back to right standing with God ,.by asking for forgiveness of our sins ,.is to be more a state of being and consciousness,.as apposed to these intermittent occurrences,.much like prayer ,.
"Pray without ceasing."—1 Thessalonians 5:17.
,..now that God has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit within ,.and made our own spirits come to life out of the state of death that they were in before we were born again into the spirit,.we must until Jesus returns,.carry forth the battle of putting to death our flesh which we are still living inside ,.as we hear abound the saying "sacrifice the flesh" and "the spirit is strong yet the flesh is weak",.. and we must remember that the regeneration and transformation the Bible teaches of, though instantaneous as far as our bodies and minds are concerned spiritually,.does take time for the physical realm to catch up to the spiritual realm ,.however we know at least have a spirit which is alive in Christ to help us to overcome our fleshly carnal desires and lusts,.
James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
,..the wages of sin are death,..
,..whatever strongholds we think the enemy holds over us ,.we must always remember and believe that in Christ we have victory,.the war has been won for us ,.though we must battle ,.we can claim our part in this victory,.we only have to make the choice,.we can ask God to help us make the right choices,.choices to honor Him ,.choices that will spare us from the Divine discipline we are sure to reap when choosing to sin against Him ,.
2 Peter 2:21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
Ezekiel 18:24 "But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does, will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die.
Ezekiel 33:13 If I tell the righteous man that he will surely live, but then he trusts in his righteousness and does evil, none of the righteous things he has done will be remembered; he will die for the evil he has done.
Ezekiel 33:19 And if a wicked man turns away from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live by doing so.
What we see largely between the Old Testament and the New Testament ,.is the difference between being under the law then ,..and now being under grace ,.... being redeemed ,..a popular catch phrase nowadays is ,." It is not good people who go to Heaven ,.it is Forgiven people",..this can possibly run the risk of leading us back to the fallacy of believing that we are "sinners saved by grace" ,.when this just is not true or Biblical ,.we "were" sinners saved by grace ,.we are no longer sinners ,.we are Saints ,.
a great look into this topic is found here ,.
http://heavenshelpers.org/?id=43&page=Sinners+Saved+by+Grace
as with many difficult question ,.sometimes we end up with answers that lead us to more questions ,.if you know the answer that you are looking for ,.and are hoping to hear it in order to help rationalize something already decided upon ,.or already done ,.then you yourself already know the true answer,..
,.much of sin is internal ,.in our thoughts ,.our feelings ,..this was one of the main reasons Jesus was so hated back in the day ,.telling people who where trying to trick Him up while asking about the commandment of not committing adultery ,.and answering to them that if they have even looked at a woman with lust in their hearts they have committed adultery already ,.and the same with murder ,.for if we have hate in our heart for someone ,.we have committed the sin of murder ,.virtually ,.and in a virtual world full of temptations to fore fill our hearts desire for lust and greed and hate ,..and what ends up being the root sin of most which is coveting ,.for when we covet ,.it is but the beginning ,.the foot in the door ,.to the many others,..
Ezekiel 3:20 “Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 “However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”
,..sometimes our thoughts and feelings can be highly susceptible to attack from the enemy if we are not careful ,.and for this, is why it is so important to as they say "put on the full armor of God " ,.. the helmet of Salvation has much to do with knowing who you are in Christ,..
http://www.jesusay.com/viewupdate.php?id=8337
James 1:12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
In parting I must say that I do really appreciate the opportunity to answer these questions ,.I do take them very seriously and will always try to remain as bound to scriptural Biblical authority as I possibly can ,.thanks to God ! I also welcome feedback and correction should anyone find disagreement within my attempts at finding answers,.I believe that it is important to as Ephesians recommends us to do ,..come to a common spiritual understanding of Jesus,.and how he would have us represent Him in this world,..
Ephesians 4:13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
God Bless You Bootcoot ,.and may He give you the wisdom and strength in Faith through Grace to find your way closer to Him and the immense Love He has for you !
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
What would it take for you to change your religion? Lets say a religion is out there that is becoming very popular and been around about as long as Christianity... What kind of proof would you need?
When people start throwing around the term "religion" ,.I find my self always going back to this verse ,.written by the Brother of Jesus,..and it humbles me so ,.because in this sense ,.I have no religion,.well,.none that is pure before God,.and it also makes me hope ,.and pray to God ,.to help me be more focused on the true calling He has placed upon us ,.that He would help me to become of good use ,.and lead me where he can use me the best ,.and that I will be open to this call and Trust and Obey Him ,.pick up my cross ,.and follow His Blessed Son Jesus,.always and forever,..
<< James 1:27 >>
New International Version (©1984)
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
New Living Translation (©2007)
Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
English Standard Version (©2001)
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
International Standard Version (©2008)
A religion that is pure and stainless according to God the Father is this: to take care of orphans and widows who are suffering, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
Pure, unstained religion, according to God our Father, is to take care of orphans and widows when they suffer and to remain uncorrupted by this world.
King James Bible
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world.
American King James Version
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
American Standard Version
Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
Bible in Basic English
The religion which is holy and free from evil in the eyes of our God and Father is this: to take care of children who have no fathers and of widows who are in trouble, and to keep oneself untouched by the world.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Religion clean and undefiled before God and the Father, is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their tribulation: and to keep one's self unspotted from this world.
Darby Bible Translation
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, to keep oneself unspotted from the world.
English Revised Version
Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Webster's Bible Translation
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Weymouth New Testament
The religious service which is pure and stainless in the sight of our God and Father is to visit fatherless children and widowed women in their time of trouble, and to keep one's own self unspotted from the world.
World English Bible
Pure religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Young's Literal Translation
religion pure and undefiled with the God and Father is this, to look after orphans and widows in their tribulation -- unspotted to keep himself from the world.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Pure religion - On the word here rendered "religion" (θρησκεία thrēskeia), see the notes at Colossians 2:18. It is used here evidently in the sense of piety, or as we commonly employ the word religion. The object of the apostle is to describe what enters essentially into religion; what it will do when it is properly and fairly developed. The phrase "pure religion" means that which is genuine and sincere, or which is free from any improper mixture.
And undefiled before God and the Father - That which God sees to be pure and undefiled. Rosenmuller supposes that there is a metaphor here taken from pearls or gems, which should be pure, or without stain.
Is this - That is, this enters into it; or this is religion such as God approves. The apostle does not say that this is the whole of religion, or that there is nothing else essential to it; but his general design clearly is, to show that religion will lead to a holy life, and he mentions this as a specimen, or an instance of what it will lead us to do. The things which he specifies here are in fact two:
(1) that pure religion will lead to a life of practical benevolence; and,
(2) that it will keep us unspotted from the world. If these things are found, they show that there is true piety. If they are not, there is none.
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction - To go to see, to look after, to be ready to aid them. This is an instance or specimen of what true religion will do, showing that it will lead to a life of practical benevolence. It may be remarked in respect to this:
(1) that this has always been regarded as an essential thing in true religion; because
(a) it is thus an imitation of God, who is "a father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows in his holy habitation," Psalm 68:5; and who has always revealed himself as their friend, Deuteronomy 10:18; Deuteronomy 14:29; Psalm 10:14; Psalm 82:3; Isaiah 1:17; Jeremiah 7:7; Jeremiah 49:11; Hosea 14:3.
(b) Religion is represented as leading its friends to do this, or this is required everywhere of those who claim to be religious, Isaiah 1:17; Deuteronomy 24:17; Deuteronomy 14:29; Exodus 22:22; Job 29:11-13.
(2) where this disposition to be the real friend of the widow and the orphan exists, there will also exist other corresponding things which go to make up the religious character. This will not stand alone. It will show what the heart is, and prove that it will ever be ready to do good. If a man, from proper motives, is the real friend of the widow and the fatherless, he will be the friend of every good word and work, and we may rely on him in any and every way in doing good.
And to keep himself unspotted from the world - Compare the Romans 12:2 note; James 4:4 note; 1 John 2:15-17 note. That is, religion will keep us from the maxims, vices, and corruptions which prevail in the world, and make us holy. These two things may, in fact, be said to constitute religion. If a man is truly benevolent, he bears the image of that God who is the fountain of benevolence; if he is pure and uncontaminated in his walk and deportment, he also resembles his Maker, for he is holy. If he has not these things, he cannot have any well-founded evidence that he is a Christian; for it is always the nature and tendency of religion to produce these things. It is, therefore, an easy matter for a man to determine whether he has any religion; and equally easy to see that religion is eminently desirable. Who can doubt that that is good which leads to compassion for the poor and the helpless, and which makes the heart and the life pure?
Clarke's Commentary on the Bible
Pure religion, and undefiled - Having seen something of the etymology of the word θρησκεια, which we translate religion, it will be well to consider the etymology of the word religion itself.
In the 28th chapter of the 4th book of his Divine Instructions, Lactantius, who flourished about a.d. 300, treats of hope, true religion, and superstition; of the two latter he gives Cicero's definition from his book De Natura Deorum, lib. ii. c. 28, which with his own definition will lead us to a correct view, not only of the etymology, but of the thing itself.
"Superstition," according to that philosopher, "had its name from the custom of those who offered daily prayers and sacrifices, that their children might Survive Them; ut sui sibi liberi superstites essent. Hence they were called superstitiosi, superstitious. On the other hand, religion, religio, had its name from those who, not satisfied with what was commonly spoken concerning the nature and worship of the gods, searched into the whole matter, and perused the writings of past times; hence they were called religiosi, from re, again, and lego, Iread."
This definition Lactantius ridicules, and shows that religion has its name from re, intensive, and ligo, I bind, because of that bond of piety by which it binds us to God, and this he shows was the notion conceived of it by Lucretius, who labored to dissolve this bond, and make men atheists.
Primum quod magnis doceo de rebus, et Arctis
Religionum animos Nodis Exsolvere pergo.
For first I teach great things in lofty strains,
And loose men from religion's grievous chains.
Lucret., lib. i., ver. 930, 931
As to superstition, he says it derived its name from those who paid religious veneration to the memory of the dead, (qui superstitem memoriam defunctorem colunt), or from those who, surviving their parents, worshipped their images at home, as household gods; aut qui, parentibus suis superstites, colebant imagines eorum domi, tanquam deos penates. Superstition, according to others, refers to novel rites and ceremonies in religion, or to the worship of new gods. But by religion are meant the ancient forms of worship belonging to those gods, which had long been received. Hence that saying of Virgil: -
Vana superstitio veterumque ignara deorum.
"Vain superstition not knowing the ancient gods."
Here Lactantius observes, that as the ancient gods were consecrated precisely in the same way with these new ones, that therefore it was nothing but superstition from the beginning. Hence he asserts, the superstitious are those who worship many and false gods, and the Christians alone are religious, who worship and supplicate the one true God only. St. James' definition rather refers to the effects of pure religion than to its nature. The life of God in the soul of man, producing love to God and man, will show itself in the acts which St. James mentions here. It is pure in the principle, for it is Divine truth and Divine love. It is undefiled in all its operations: it can produce nothing unholy, because it ever acts in the sight of God; and it can produce no ungentle word nor unkind act, because it comes from the Father.
continued...
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Pure religion and undefiled,.... That which is sincere and genuine, and free from adulteration and hypocrisy:
before God and the Father; or in the sight of God the Father of Christ, and all his people; that which is approved of by him, who is the searcher of hearts, and the trier of the reins of men, "is this": not that the apostle is giving a full definition of true religion; only he mentions some of the effects of it, by which it is known, and without which it cannot be true and genuine; and they are these:
to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction; and not only to see them, and speak a word of comfort to them, but to communicate to them, and supply their wants, as they may require, and according to the ability God has given: where there is true religion in the heart, there is love to God; and where there is love to God, there is love to the saints; and this will show itself to them, in times of affliction and distress; and where this is wanting, religion itself is not pure and undefiled:
and to keep himself unspotted from the world: from the men of the world, who defile by their evil communications; and "from the vices of the world", as the Arabic version renders it, which are of a defiling nature; and, where religion is in its power and purity, and the Gospel of the grace of God comes with efficacy, it teaches to separate from the rest of the world, and to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly.
Vincent's Word Studies
Undefiled (ἀμίαντος)
See on 1 Peter 1:4. The two adjectives, pure and undefiled, present the positive and negative sides of purity.
To visit (ἐπισκέπτεσθαι)
See on Matthew 25:36. James strikes a downright blow here at ministry by proxy, or by mere gifts of money. Pure and undefiled religion demands personal contact with the world's sorrow: to visit the afflicted, and to visit them in their affliction. "The rich man, prodigal of money, which is to him of little value, but altogether incapable of devoting any personal attention to the object of his alms, often injures society by his donations; but this is rarely the case with that far nobler charity which makes men familiar with the haunts of wretchedness, and follows the object of its care through all the phases of his life" (Lecky, "History of European Morals," ii., 98).
To keep (τηρεῖν)
See on 1 Peter 1:4.
Unspotted (ἄσπιλον)
See on 1 Peter 1:19.
Geneva Study Bible
{19} Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To {z} visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
(19) The fourth: the true service of God exists in charity towards our neighbours, especially those who need the help of others (fatherless and widows), and purity of life.
(z) To care for them and to help them as much as we can.
People's New Testament
1:27 Pure religion and undefiled before God. Combining pure hearts and pure outward lives. This genuine religion has two elements:
To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction. First, kind and loving deeds, exemplified especially in helping the helpless, such as widows and orphans, and
And to keep himself unspotted from the world. Living pure, unsullied lives, unstained by the sins prevalent in this sinful world.
Wesley's Notes
1:27 The only true religion in the sight of God, is this, to visit - With counsel, comfort, and relief. The fatherless and widows - Those who need it most. In their affliction - In their most helpless and hopeless state. And to keep himself unspotted from the world - From the maxims, tempers, and customs of it. But this cannot be done, till we have given our hearts to God, and love our neighbour as ourselves.
Scofield Reference Notes
Margin world
"kosmos" = world-system. Jas 4:4 Jn 7:7 See Scofield Note: "Rev 13:8"
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
27. Pure . and undefiled-"Pure" is that love which has in it no foreign admixture, as self-deceit and hypocrisy. "Undefiled" is the means of its being "pure" [Tittmann]. "Pure" expresses the positive, "undefiled" the negative side of religious service; just as visiting the fatherless and widow is the active, keeping himself unspotted from the world, the passive side of religious duty. This is the nobler shape that our religious exercises take, instead of the ceremonial offices of the law.
before God and the Father-literally, "before Him who is (our) God and Father." God is so called to imply that if we would be like our Father, it is not by fasting, &c., for He does none of these things, but in being "merciful as our Father is merciful" [Chrysostom].
visit-in sympathy and kind offices to alleviate their distresses.
the fatherless-whose "Father" is God (Ps 68:5); peculiarly helpless.
and-not in the Greek; so close is the connection between active works of mercy to others, and the maintenance of personal unworldliness of spirit, word, and deed; no copula therefore is needed. Religion in its rise interests us about ourselves in its progress, about our fellow creatures: in its highest stage, about the honor of God.
keep himself-with jealous watchfulness, at the same time praying and depending on God as alone able to keep us (Joh 17:15; Jude 24).
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
1:26,27 When men take more pains to seem religious than really to be so, it is a sign their religion is in vain. The not bridling the tongue, readiness to speak of the faults of others, or to lessen their wisdom and piety, are signs of a vain religion. The man who has a slandering tongue, cannot have a truly humble, gracious heart. False religious may be known by their impurity and uncharitableness. True religion teaches us to do every thing as in the presence of God. An unspotted life must go with unfeigned love and charity. Our true religion is equal to the measure in which these things have place in our hearts and conduct. And let us remember, that nothing avails in Christ Jesus, but faith that worketh by love, purifies the heart, subdues carnal lusts, and obeys God's commands
taken from http://bible.cc/james/1-27.htm
The "kind" of proof is Divine ,.and because we believe that the Holy Bible with its New and Old Testaments are the inspired Word of The Living God: true immutable, steadfast, and unchangeable, and that the inspired Word of God constitutes the only Divine Rule of Christian faith and life style,.we already have our proof.
Short of God Himself coming to me ,.or bringing me to Him ,.to tell me of a Truth other than the one He has revealed to us through His Son Jesus,.there is no proof that would do,..as for me ,.I have been shown the only proof I need to last a lifetime !
Pertaining to the previous question regarding whether humans are animals or not; All of your "proof" was from the Bible, which has historically been an unreliable source. Do you have any proof from other, verified places?
Maybe ,.and I am just venturing a guess here ,.if the Bible is not enough proof for you personally ,.it is because you have never actually read the Bible ,..? The only Truth there is, is Jesus ,.all the truths that we try in vain to make for ourselves will always fall short to the Truth of Jesus,.once you know this Truth ,.it will set you free,..you will never come to know it ,.unless you first choose to seek it ,.do not get me wrong ,.I believe that seeking the truth,.is a great start,.it is not the same as seeking God though ,.seek ye first the Kingdom of heaven ,.it belongs to Children ,.it is like the smallest of seeds,.the mustard seed,.that once planted,.grows to become the most majestic tree in the forest,.
man knows that God exists ,.in the deepest fiber of his being ,.yet like fish born into water ,.we were born into sin ,.and we flee from the light that is God ,.for we know in our hearts we are sinners,.and until the Spirit has begun to draw us towards Him ,.we turn and run for our darkness and the falsely perceived comfort of it ,.for we have never known anything else ,.I do not profess to be a Calvinist yet some of my recent encounters with atheists have left me perhaps leaning further in that direction than before ,.then I try hard to remember how I was before God got a hold of me ,.and I thank Him for His Grace ,.giving me a gift I did not deserve,.and I thank him for His Mercy ,.not giving me what I do deserve ,.and it makes me remember that He told me to love and forgive ,.as he has loved and forgiven me ,.and then it breaks my heart to hear these innocent, poor lost and mislead souls denying and forsaking the love and existence of such an amazing and awesome God that He has the patience and lovingkindness to allow them to go on breaking His heart with the free will that he Himself gave them ,.knowing all along that I too such a short time ago was so much so just like every one of them and in most cases worse ,.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOi6v5DD_1M
the agents use of the term virus would lead one to believe that a virus is nothing special of a creation ,.however I can not help but see so many Biblical references all throughout the matrix trilogy,.that however is a different topic ,.my point being that we ,.like he mentions ,.do not behave in any ,.way ,.shape ,.or form ,.like every and all animals around us do ,..
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2OADc9DVY0
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I do not mean to be rude with the links and not going into a personal answer yet again, however I do not wish to argue religion , but only speak of the truth of salvation. We were created in God's image and as much as I appreciate that you care what I believe,.I must tell you that the Holy Spirit is the best ,.by far,.teacher we have in the whole world ,.the whole universe,.if you are a believer in Christ,.and God has by His grace and Mercy ,.made you into a Christian ,.then you have the Holy Spirit working inside of you ,.if you are not ,.the Holy Spirit is still there for you ,.drawing you closer to God ,.yet you have yet to open up to it and receive the gift of salvation Jesus brought for us all when He died upon the cross and rose three days later having defeated death,.so you are limiting the Spirit to only work externally ,.something looking back now ,.I can testify clearly to ,.yet it is hard to explain ,.it is like I suppose coming out of a cloud ,.and having turned a corner ,.and now from your new perspective and understanding ,.you are able to see quite clearly how everything had been working together to get you to the place you are now ,.and that had you realized sooner along the way ,.there had been many opportunities to go the right direction all along,.there unlike before is no regret for having missed so many of the blessing from the path less traveled that until now you had never really grasped,.rather you are only wanting to thank God for being so loving and patient with you along the way ,.and having helped you get to where you are now before it was too late ,.and in order to try and understand the sense of urgency that we as believers have when trying to witness to the lost ,.it is as if you imagine how great it feels to have escaped the smoke and heat of a burning building ,.out into the fresh air and cool of the safe outdoors ,.and then realize that almost the whole world is still trapped inside ,.and you could never in good conscience not go back inside to help shine the light God has given you being protected by the flames of the enemy with a supernatural shield of Faith in a God who is who He said he was ,.and who will do what he has promised to do,.....now what was the question again,..?
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Are humans any different than animals? Or, more simplified, are humans animals?
#God created all the animals on the fifth day ,.
Genesis 1:20 God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of sky.” 21 God created the large sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good. 22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;” and it was so.
25 God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.
,......and on the sixth day He created man,.so they are older ,.and were not created in the image and likeness of God ,.were as we were,.and He gave us "dominion" over them ,.
Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
,....and I could go on and on and on ,.yet I must close this window tab now ,.so if you want to know more please just ask again ,.all I can say is that I really really love animals,.and they do not deserve at all in the least what we as the human animal are doing to them ,.God has given us a huge responsibility to steward the earth and all the living creatures and we are failing miserably ,.we all deserve to go to hell a hundred times over ,.so for this i try my best to always be thankful for His Son Jesus and that He died on that cross to pay for our sins ,.,..and is our ONLY hope of ever becoming what God had planned for us from the very beginning before our time even existed !
Saturday, September 11, 2010
do you think it is wrong for a married woman to have an affair with a married man?
Yes.
Deuteronomy 22:22 If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
,..now thank God we are no longer under the law,.we are under grace ,.however ,.Jesus taught us that to commit adultery in not just merely a physical act ,..He said,.
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery Matthew 5:27
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Matthew 5:28
,..and like the root cause that leads to many sins,.it is the sin of coveting that is where the challenge begins,.
James 1:15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."
,..I was hoping this might help,.the relevant part begins at 1:17
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpZyl8VcCYc
,...we can not resist any of these great temptations by our own strength,..and our greatest weaknesses will be God's greatest strengths,.if we offer them up to Him and leave them at the cross,....many times I believe it is our relationship with Jesus that needs to be worked on to fill whatever void we are feeling that leads to seeking something extra,..when we remain in Christ we will never be left for want,....there is only one winner when it comes to adultery ,.and it is the enemy,..meanwhile we stand to loose everything,..
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26
do you think you are a 'good' person or a 'bad' person and why?
being born again ,.in Christ ,.I am a Saint ,.in Spirit ,..however still being in this earth and attached to this fleshly body ,.you do not even want to know ,.Paul took the title chief sinner a touch prematurely, God obviously did not let him know about me,..point being I must ,.and do ,.thank God for the work His Son Jesus is doing in my heart,.heaven only knows there is a lifetimes worth of it !
do you believe killing animals to eat is to God's liking?
I believe God must love Bar-B-Q ,.what with all the burnt offerings ,.and always wanting the very best of the heard,..but no seriously,.not being a hunter myself ,.and also being an animal lover ,.my own take would be subjectively no ,..however ,.the Bible would stand to correct me ,..and seeing how the Bible comes from God,.I am pretty much out numbered (God's vote counts the most ,.just in case you did not know,..I was not too clear on that one either ,.He is still working on me thank God ! ),.Now all that being said ,.the way that our modern day society has made the whole food industry en mass so far out of whack with Biblical principals,.then the question seems possibly better asked as "Have we strayed from the way God had intended for us to treat animals?" ,.then of course my answer would be a most definite yes,.we are literally exterminating whole species left and right for the sake of greed, money and power,.there was only eight of us on the Ark ,.and countless animals,.relatively speaking,.it would not seem that we were the numerically favored,.so ya ,.I figure it is a pretty good bet that He is getting somewhat pissed ! I myself am a hypocrite though because I still eat meat,.so what can I say,.I am still part of the problem ,.and not part of the solution,.why does that darn bacon have to be so terribly delicious ! Mmmm,...bacon,...nom nom nom ,..I Thank God for bacon ,.and that we are no longer under the law ! Hallelujah !
do you have last.fm, if so add me last.fm/user/connerstarship (yep shit name but still)
Done ,...and,......done !
Como se diz de trás pra frente essa frase: “Socorram-me subi no ônibus em Marrocos”? (leiam é mt BOA)
Okay ,.I am going to pretend that the question you are asking me is " Do you speak this language,.?" ,.so then the answer would be ,.No,.sorry ,.try again in English please,.Thank You
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Jesus or satan ?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRBFxAKt8AA
Friday, September 3, 2010
What's the secret to happiness?
( Search for #God ) Making peace with God ,.and allowing Jesus to go to work in your life ,.and more importantly in your heart ,.which is why I always try my best to remember to thank and praise Him because there is a whole lot of work to be done in there ,..if you are like me and did not become a believer in Christ till your later years ,.or still have not accepted Jesus as our only Hope and Savior and are still kicking and screaming like a little baby along the whole way like I was ,.and are still pointlessly waging war against yourself and the Awesome God that created you and is giving you the life and choice to do so ,..then you too more than you might believe yet have a lot of work for Him to do ,.why not allow Him the pleasure ,.what are you waiting for ,.still think you are going to be able to find the secret to happiness without God or worse better than God ,.,.ya,.thats pride ,.same thing that got satan kicked out of Heaven ,.still don't believe in satan ,.then you are totally deceived and you need God more than you will ever know ,. until you know The Truth ,.The Way ,.and The Life,.that is Jesus Christ ,.I Hope and Pray you will start seeking it out ,.I too was a non-believer, before God made me a Christian,.so I still remember what it felt like to think I was being "preached" at ,.we are not preaching The Gospel "at" you ,.we are preaching it "FOR" you ,.and asking God to give you eyes to see,.and ears to hear the truth of this message so as to allow the power of God to help you turn for the direction you do not yet even realize you are heading ,.which is away from God ,.and into destruction and death eternal ,.when you could simply turn back towards God and ask Him to save you ,.we can not make you a Christian ,.you can not make yourself a Christian ,.only God can make you a Christian .He can not do it though unless you ask ,.and you may not even know that you need to ask because you do not even know yet that you need to be saved,.do not let yourself be fooled into thinking that you have heard it all before ,.that is the enemy playing with your mind ,.read the truth for yourself in the Bible ,.thats why God gave it to us ,.start with Proverbs 4 : 22 ,.the advice given to a son from his Father ,...for it is the same thing God is trying to say to you ,.you just will not hear if you are not listening for it ,. << Proverbs 4:22 >>
New International Version (©1984)
for they are life to those who find them and health to a man's whole body.
New Living Translation (©2007)
for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.
English Standard Version (©2001)
For they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body.
GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
because they are life to those who find them and they heal the whole body.
King James Bible
For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
American King James Version
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
American Standard Version
For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh.
Bible in Basic English
For they are life to him who gets them, and strength to all his flesh.
Douay-Rheims Bible
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.
Darby Bible Translation
For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
English Revised Version
For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
Webster's Bible Translation
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.
World English Bible
For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.
Young's Literal Translation
For life they are to those finding them, And to all their flesh healing.
What was your favorite movie as a child?
#GodsChildren What do you mean as a child ,.I still am a child !,..?
If you had to cook dinner for someone tonight, what would you make?
#OurDailyBread What do you mean "had to" ,.don't you mean "get to" ,.as in like how cooking for people is a privilege ,.honor and blessing that God allows us ,.and how the most important ingredient is first and foremost Love ,.which in many cases means time and effort ,.which we are making so much harder for people to do in this day and age ,..?
Why youre "not too sure about this facebook thing"? :)
(Search for #God) ,..Because when I finally broke down and started my first ever f/b account,.because everyone and their dogs had one ,.it ended up getting suspended because I apparently sent too many messages,..hmm,.gee here I thought that I was using it for what it was made for ,.connecting with old friends,.who knew,.? (p.s. - so now I have 50 just in case ,.lol ) So basically I ,.like all technology and material things in general ,.hold it at arms length,.and consider it all "disposable" ,.and not disposable in a bad like throw away everything and destroy the ecosystem sense ,.just more like in the I won't be surprised or let it get to me if it all gets suddenly taken away ,.everything belongs to God anyways ,.we are just borrowing it ! The sooner we realize that it is all God's ,.including us ,.our time ,.our everything ,.and He in His infinite Wisdom , Grace, and Mercy ,.has allowed us to use it ,.the sooner we will realize that we would best be using it for His Glory !
Do you play #EmpireAvenue ? http://www.empireavenue.com/ucana #EAv
Do you play #EmpireAvenue ? http://www.empireavenue.com/ucana #EAv
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Empire Avenue ,.from God's perspective.
Growing up without being surrounded by religious words and symbols, gave me the chance to earn my own values by discovering life by myself. I'm a man of science. I want proof and verifiable results. In doubt, i make hypothesis that are plausible in a scientific way.
Did you ever question yourself why you believe in God ? Not if "he" exist, but why you think it exist. Why this date or why 12 guys. Who re-wrote the bible and for what purpose. When you'll be able to speak freely about the thing you believe in, without giving me lines from books or pastors, i'll respect you for that.
Jesus isn't hope. It's a stall. If you don't think this way, your not part of the humanity i hope in. Sorry !
posted about 5 hours ago