Biblical Issues
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I realize this may be a somewhat questionable question because of the topic, but I feel it's necessary to ask. Here's some back story before I ask the question. I'm an assistant pastor at my church. I'm also the RU director. I had a guy, last year, get busted for being in town in drag. People told me they saw him. I confronted him, not in a harsh way, but in a Biblical way. He told me it was true. I've been working closely with this guy for a year now. Very few people knew about it. He came to me later and thanked me for confronting him and said the Lord was dealing with him. I thought "amen, that's what we are supposed to do." He's got 15 months sober from a…
Last reply by Anthony John Thornton, -
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The message of popular culture is clear: “You have what it takes. Dig deep, persevere hard, and reach for the stars.” There’s value in encouraging people to have confidence to seek to make a difference with their lives. But the whole message of self-sufficiency is misleading. Conversely, mature, clear-minded Christians wake up every day with an awareness that they don’t have what it takes to make a success of the day. They know that they can’t be and do all that God has for them that day or the rest of their lives without the grace of God. There is nothing that reveals our need for God’s grace like a trial. One of the very reasons God allows difficulties and even fa…
Last reply by RSS Robot, -
Holy Spirit baptism 1 2 3 4 8
by MikeWatson1-
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I'm pretty sure this has been covered before. But where in scripture does the Holy Spirit baptise anyone at salvation? I know regeneration is sort of figuratively the Holy Spirit baptizing.. but I don't actually see it in scripture. The key verse many like to use is 1 Co 12:13 But 1... later the body being defined is the one at Corinth. 2... 'spirit' here has been capitalized but can be small s. So.. being baptized in water.. in one spirit of unity...in reference to the church they want to join. Paul I think joined Antioch..so he would have been baptised in reference to that body. The Corinthians baptised in reference to the…
Last reply by Salyan, -
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Telling anyone one that you’re a non-denominational Christian. This tells me, that this Christian, is open to making changes at any moment, willing to accept or not accept, depending on where they stand that day. I believe talking in tongues today but not tomorrow. A little bit confusing in my opinion.
Last reply by TheGloryLand, -
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And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one (John 10:28-30 KJV). Revelation That Leads to Salvation All people, everywhere, experience revelation from God about Himself. “”For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. 1:20). Some receive clearer revelation than others. Jesus said, “”If I had not come and spoke…
Last reply by BrotherTony, -
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What is the "heart of the earth" referring to in Matthew 12:40?
Last reply by SureWord, -
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In the closed poll for the meaning of "Heart of the earth" in Matthew 12:40 there were no votes for the tomb and 4 votes for other. I wonder what some of the other meanings might be.
Last reply by rstrats, -
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I just heard a Calvinist in my Facebook feed, John McArthur, saying that God hates sinners. I've heard and seen this debated many times. Some say God hates the sin but loves the sinner and others say that God hates both and use various scriptures to prove it either way. But what Mr. McArthur says doesn't agree with one thing. Jesus Christ Himself told us that, to be like God, you have to "Love your enemies". So, if someone does something to you, in a really serious way, you are commanded by God to do something that he wouldn't even do Himself? By that logic, you would be taking a higher road than God would. I don't think so. God says his ways are higher than our ways. So…
Last reply by Dr. Robert S. Morley, -
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Now the man who "smote his breast", and said "God be merciful to me, a sinner", was justified. The Bible says that if one "calls upon the name of the Lord" they shall be saved. It also says "Confess with thy mouth and beleive in thine heart" etc. These are certainly examples of "praying a prayer". I would argue that the "thief on the cross" did the same: he spoke directly to God and was saved. So if someone prays a "one time prayer" believes on Jesus for salvation, and the Holy Ghost indwells them, that "one time prayer" was enough. So what does this guy mean by this and what drives such a man to constantly preach negative stuff like this? And what drives such a man to t…
Last reply by SureWord, -
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I said no, why would you think that. He mentioned that part of his seed, and Eve. I told him, that the Bible would have told us plainly. If he did touch her. Note: if the title topic is too strong, it could be changed. Or reworded thanks TGL
Last reply by SureWord, -
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It’s hard to envision a more grace-filled response and Spirit-anointed outcome to a trial than Ron Hamilton’s when he lost his eye to cancer. You may already know the story: As a young husband, Ron was diagnosed with cancer behind his left eye. The surgery to remove the cancer also resulted in the loss of his eye. After surgery, he found that kids gravitated toward him wearing a patch. They were full of questions, and some called him “Patch the Pirate.” It was though this tragedy—and Ron’s trust in the Lord through it—that the ministry of “Patch the Pirate” began. Over the past forty-five years now, Ron and Shelly Hamilton have produced over forty children’s musical au…
Last reply by RSS Robot, -
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You’ve heard the maxim, “Teamwork makes the dream work.” There is much truth to this statement, and no one modeled teamwork better than the apostle Paul. Over the years at Lancaster Baptist, I have preached verse-by-verse through many books of the Bible. This past Sunday, I began a new preaching series through Romans. A few years ago, we did three series through the pastoral epistles: 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. (The expanded outlines for these pastoral epistles are now in a book, set to release next week as part of the Striving Together Study Library.) Throughout Paul’s pastoral epistles, we repeatedly see the necessity and value Paul placed on teamwork in minis…
Last reply by RSS Robot, -
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A friend of mine, nice guy and great to do business with, posts a lot of calvinistic memes on Facebook. I had to address this one, this morning: Revelation 3:20 says you have to open the door before he'll come in.
Last reply by BrotherTony, -
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I've recently learned that in Ancient Jewish Weddings (esp. Galilean) were a type of the rapture. The groom would abduct the bride, take her to a chamber in his father's house where they would stay for seven days before coming out and finalizing their marriage ceremony. Where could I find actual Jewish documentation on this subject?
Last reply by BrotherTony, -
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We have a friend that was very confused. She mentioned that the pastor said today there are no longer miracles. She felt sad, for she said she felt that she had witness or saw a miracle. Many gifts, have ceased example speaking in tongues, where does miracle fall in this category, do you believe it ceased, and are not for today, or miracles have different sizes, big miracles in the past, smaller miracles today. I believe the pastor could’ve been talking about those miracle pastor workers out there, but I’m not sure because he didn’t specify the type of miracles that weren’t for today. But to come out and say miracles are not for today, like tongues are not for today, wasn…
Last reply by Disciple.Luke, -
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This is a subtle thing, but very common when people teach salvation. When praying to believe in Jesus .. receiving Him... Many tracts have 'i now commit my life to you' or 'i now turn from my sin and...' or 'i put you on the throne of my life'.. Putting self into salvation. Making turning from sin... A work of effort. Usually they also have believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation.. so people stil get saved through reading it ..but there is the subtle thing of having works 'back loaded ' into salvation.
Last reply by TheGloryLand, -
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Over the past several years, the term woke has been used to describe people who have been awakened to the injustices of society, particularly in regards to racism. Many Christians, committed to displaying God’s heart for the oppressed, have eagerly embraced the term. The “woke movement,” however, has grown much larger than the early definition of the term. There is an agenda driving it that is anti-Christian and steeped in anti-God philosophies. A working definition of wokism is impossible since even its strongest proponents apply the word in fluid settings. As defined by Merriam-Webster, to be woke means to be “aware of and actively attentive to important facts and is…
Last reply by RSS Robot, -
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One of the great blessings of grace is that it provides God’s divine enablement to grow in every area of our lives and leadership. One of the evidences of growing in grace is that we will arrive on a biblical track of ministry. On the contrary, without sensitivity to the Spirit, we can land on an unbiblical and unhelpful track of ministry. Below are some of the more dominant tracks of ministry in the modern era. I share these, not to put anyone in a “category” but to encourage each of us to examine tendencies that may be leading us a direction we don’t want to go. 1. Pragmatism This track is results-oriented to a point that it measures the rightness of both philosophie…
Last reply by RSS Robot, -
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When we that are born again, are in heaven, are we going to wear white clothes. If we are now in the spirit, heaven. Why wear clothing at all.
Last reply by TheGloryLand, -
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The question that I would like to raise is whether or not it is considered sinful for Christian women to wear pants, and why that is the case. The controversy within this community regarding women's apparel has manifested itself countless of times whether it be in small local churches, such as my own, or large scale conventions and conferences where the attire of an individual, typically a woman's, is criticized or condemned. Personally, I believe that one should place more emphasis on behavior/actions and our faith than in the triviality of appearances. However, I am aware of the fervent stance that many of us have regarding this issue and I would like to hear/see o…
Last reply by BrotherTony, -
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Terrie and I have been in Manila the past few days in preparation for Spiritual Leadership Conference Asia, February 28–March 2. Everywhere we go, we are reminded of the great harvest fields of souls here in Asia. And here in the Philippines, in particular, we are reminded of the tremendous potential for what can be done for Christ through the faithful gospel labor of missionaries over multiple decades. For instance, this past Sunday morning, I preached in Bethany Baptist Church in Makati City (a part of the Metro Manila region). I remember as a young boy when Dr. L. D. Woosley preached in our church and asked us to pray for this mission work he was just starting. Tod…
Last reply by RSS Robot, -
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For my entire ministry life, I’ve prayed for God to send revival to the United States, similar to the First and Second Great Awakenings that swept our country in its early years. Over the past thirty-six years, the Lord has blessed our church with special outpourings of His Spirit—both in particular services and for long seasons. Each January, we schedule a week of meetings as our “winter revival” with the express purpose of seeking God and exposing our souls to His preached Word. But we know that ultimately revival is the work of God, not something we schedule on a calendar. Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee? (Psalm 85:6) So what spe…
Last reply by RSS Robot, -
Why?
by heartstrings- 2 followers
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So I'm at another point in my life, where I'm tempted to ask God "Why?". I heard the other day someone mention that asking God "Why?" is not the right thing to do. We should instead ask "What?" Here's an example.... https://embracing.life/article/when-you-find-yourself-asking-god-why So I would like to know where this admonishment is found in the Bible? Because even Jesus asked the Father "Why?"
Last reply by BrotherTony, -
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How do you know this, did you have a dream, did your pastor approve you to become one. Maybe you wanted to be married to the pastor daughter. Because you heard a voice from heaven. You said, I might as well, I went to, and finish Bible College. You thought it would be a easy way of living. Can you share with me, what is a true calling into becoming a great preacher for the Lord? How did you know...
Last reply by Disciple.Luke, -
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Series Conclusion-Summary of entire series-Budding o Apostasy, Development of the apostate church, Development of the Papacy, Rule of the Roman Catholic Church, The Crusades, Byzantine Empire, The Waldenses, The Inquisition, The Protestant Reformation, United States of AmericaView the full article
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