heartstrings

No, it's not supposed to be a "social club" per se.. But being "social" is the whole point of  "the assembling of yourselves together".

Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

I drink coffee in Sunday School and leave my cup there when church starts.  I don't believe it belongs in the preaching service and I can do without it for an hour. But I wouldn't attend John Piper's church regardless of whether he let me drink coffee in the sanctuary or not. He has much more pressing things to get right on, than "drinking coffee" in church.

The SBC has it's liberals and even heresy infecting their circles, such as Calvinism, just like IFB churches do. Calvinism is very heretical if you ask me and I can't, for the life of me, comprehend why either a SBC church or IFB one would associate with such who teach it.  But just like IFB churches can choose not to affiliate or associate with certain churches with teach false doctrine(and many do have networks of churches they associate with), the SBC can do things like "kicking out" churches with women "preachers". And an SBC affiliated church can leave the SBC any time it wants to. An example, by contrast, I know of a little country Methodist church we used to visit in our area (to play music) which recently pulled out of the United Methodist organization; the organization took their church building, bank accounts and all other assets. I know of an Assembly of God church which went through basically the same thing. But I'd be willing to bet my pastor would pull out of the SBC if they condoned women preachers, homosexual preachers, or any other junk like that, and we wouldn't lose our church assets for doing it. How is that not actually independent?

Independent; but not fundamental

My neighbor, who also lives across the road from our church, spent some time in jail for watering his "garden" using the church's water. Deputy drove by, saw a water hose strung out into the woods behind the church. But pastors of a Baptist church.....wow

CC

6 minutes ago, TheGloryLand said:

Who really wants a  flamethrower?  I’ll take a boatload of watermelon  

MEEE!!!!

I have one of those propane-powered thingies. Good for burning weeds and starting bonfires. Not really a weapon, per se, although it would hurt really bad if it hit somebody.. https://www.amazon.com/Flame-King-YSN320Ka-Propane-Burner/dp/B09PD9BGK6/ref=asc_df_B09PD9BGK6/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=563593981914&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=10813134964080136888&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9011629&hvtargid=pla-1599443882341&psc=1

First of all; isn't "raffling" a form of gambling? Why do that at a Bible believing church. And what message does all this send to the World?  (I have nothing against the weapons BTW)

"But........Honey, it's even better than a new gun: I can not only bring home a turkey .......you don't even have to cook it."

The Bible says a husband and wife are to be "heirs together of the grace of life". A wife is indeed commanded to "submit" to her husband and it's her choice to do so. But the husband is never commanded to "subject" her, ever. Big difference.

I can promise you, this Christian voter will not be voting for anyone in the party which supports gun control, communism, sodomite marriage, sex changes, recreational drugs, or murdering babies; and we all know which party that is.

On 7/18/2021 at 3:52 AM, Bouncing Bill said:

 A liberal soul that practices the teaching of Christ will be considered a liberal person by conservatives as they will not do those things. Just look at what the GOP preaches. There is little or nothing of Christ's teaching in their stances.

 

A Christian may vote for a "conservative" candidate and he may also do things like driving a car, eating pizza and putting his pants on one leg at a time. Just because a "Conservative" does the same things(which he does), doesn't make him a Christian. The question was "can a Christian be a liberal voter?" and I still say "no"; not if he is in his right mind he can't.

37 minutes ago, Bouncing Bill said:

What did Jesus teach?

1. Go the second mile.
2. Give the coat off your back to someone in need.
3. Visit the sick.
4. Give to the hungry.
5. Give drink to the thirsty.
6. Visit those in prison.
7. Love your enemies.
8. Do good to those who persecute you.
9. Do to others as you want them to do to you.

Pretty liberal as opposed to what conservatives stances on how we treat others.

We are to do those 9 things but that's not all:

Psalm 2 1Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

3Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

Why do the heathen want to "break our bands asunder" and "cast away" our cords? Remember a man named Stephen? When he preached to some "raging heathens" they became so enraged that they violently murdered him. And he was full of the Spirit of God. We are also here to be filled with the Holy Ghost as Stephen was and what is one thing the Holy Ghost does? He "reproves the World of sin, righteousness and judgement to come". We are to call sin sin. For example: murdering babies in the womb. Democrats or anyone else who advocates for that by voting or otherwise is a member of the wicked "raging heathen" crowd. That is NOT "liberal": the Bible speaks well of "liberal souls" but the Bible word "liberal" appears to mean something way different from what we call "liberal" today.

Proverbs 29: 2 When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.

Psalm 12:8 The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

I just can't believe that a righteous(someone who is saved) person (other than one with some kind of dementia) would vote for wicked people like Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Hillary, Nancy Pelosi, AOC, etc.

33 minutes ago, jeff_student_of_Jesus said:

Is there any evidence in Scripture, or otherwise,  that even 5% of voters are born again ?

"Can't be" , I think. 

 

No, but even out of that 5%(or less) I can't see any supporting a wicked person like Biden or Harris or any of that bunch. They would have to be demented or seriously "backslid".

Those who voted for this gay rights, abortion loving, God hating, Christian hating crowd.... I doubt very seriously that they have been born of the Spirit of God. Can't be.

1 hour ago, Pastor Scott Markle said:

Biblically, there is a distinction between those who are poor because they CANNOT from those who are lazy and WILL NOT.  In order to be strictly Biblical, we must develop an understanding and behavior that includes both sides of the distinction.

2 Thessalonians 3:10............ if any would not work, neither should he eat................

First of all, I would point out, the Biblical meaning of the word "liberal" is actually good. But the World has perverted it and uses it for evil. Be that as it may; a real Christian does not "follow a multitude to do evil". A real Christian does not use his votes to promote things like sodomy and the wholesale slaughter of children.

Several of our church members are armed every service. We also have some former military and law enforcement members.