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JimR

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  1. Like
    JimR got a reaction from HappyChristian in Sola Scriptura   
    Ukelelmike,
    Another issue is declining literacy.  I teach grad students online and can attest that degree inflation along with the digital culture has greatly reduced reading comprehension.  People cannot read, understand or remember even one page of instructions.  How then can they be expected to read and comprehend the bible?  Attention spans, including my own, have shortened.  People need preaching more than ever but preachers must learn to keep it short.
  2. Like
    JimR got a reaction from Miss Daisy in declining age of accountability   
    Sorry, Scott.  I gave you the wrong impression.  I agree with you that evidence of a changed life is not necessary for baptism.  I only asked you about it because this week i listened to an IFB sermon that said that.  
    I did not say exceptional kids who have true faith should not be baptized.  I just noted the average age is declining and pointed out that some who were baptized young later decided it was not valid because they did not understand and were going along due to peer pressure. This makes me worry that the trend is not good.  The difference between baptists and others is shrinking.
    Romans 10:9 works for me:  that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
    Philip baptized the Ethiopian straightaway after he believed.  Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change.  
    I hope those scriptures are sufficient foundation for my position.
  3. Like
    JimR got a reaction from Angel in Personal relationship with Jesus   
    Some of us may assume that all Christians believe a personal relationship with Jesus is important, but many pastors have pushed back against this idea, equating it to having an imaginary friend.  Even the Gospel Coalition site has published articles against personal relationship language. A web search turns up a stress on the personal relationship with Jesus on many baptist church websites, but dig deeper and you will not see it mentioned on their What We Believe page.  A couple of years ago i called up a local baptist pastor and asked him why this is so.  He snapped at me: What are you, the webpage police?  Ouch.
    The personal relationship language implies some sense of directly knowing Him.  It is experiential and fulfilling.  To many believers, that feeling makes them Christians and gives meaning to their lives.  The spirit of Christ abides in us and we in Him.
    Anyway, i would like to know how many users of this site believe a personal relationship with Jesus is both possible and important.
  4. Like
    JimR got a reaction from Pastor Scott Markle in declining age of accountability   
    Sorry, Scott.  I gave you the wrong impression.  I agree with you that evidence of a changed life is not necessary for baptism.  I only asked you about it because this week i listened to an IFB sermon that said that.  
    I did not say exceptional kids who have true faith should not be baptized.  I just noted the average age is declining and pointed out that some who were baptized young later decided it was not valid because they did not understand and were going along due to peer pressure. This makes me worry that the trend is not good.  The difference between baptists and others is shrinking.
    Romans 10:9 works for me:  that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
    Philip baptized the Ethiopian straightaway after he believed.  Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change.  
    I hope those scriptures are sufficient foundation for my position.
  5. Like
    JimR reacted to Jim_Alaska in declining age of accountability   
    I prefer to remain cautious in regard to Baptism of the very young, and for all the reasons you stated. It goes even further than what you outlined though. I have first hand knowledge of children being supposedly saved and Baptized as young as five years old.
    I would never be so adamant as to insist that a five year old was really saved, simply because with God all things are possible. But still I prefer to remain cautious in these situations.
  6. Like
    JimR reacted to DaveW in "Good" Friday?   
    The only thing that can be said for certain is that the tomb was empty when the ladies arrived at the tomb before dawn.
    The actual time of the resurrection is not precisely defined, only the time that the tomb was found open.
    I might suggest though that Wednesday, Thursday,  or Friday for the burial, is not as important as the fact that the tomb is indeed empty.
  7. Like
    JimR reacted to Alan in Personal relationship with Jesus   
    Amen and amen. I agree wholeheartedly.
  8. Like
    JimR reacted to weary warrior in Personal relationship with Jesus   
    How many truths, words and phrases that are Biblical and right have Independent Baptists given up or forsaken over the years because someone else uses them incorrectly?
    How often do you hear a hard hitting sermon on holiness? We gave that one up when the holiness movement arrived. "Abundant life"? Yeah, it's Bible, but we don't dare use it any more. Too Joel Osteen. "In the Spirit"? Biblical but too charismatic.
    God created man and had a personal relationship with Adam in the very beginning, walking with him in the cool of the day. Enoch went home early with God simply because God was delighted with his personal relationship, he "walked with God". Abraham was God's friend. Moses spoke face to face with God as a man speaketh with a friend. John leaned on Jesus' breast and was the disciple whom the Lord loved. Jesus said henceforth I call you friends. Not servants.
    A personal relationship with God is sorely missing from the lives of God's people today, and they desperately need to be led back to that wonderful, personal state of daily walking with God by us pastors. And I'll be hung for a sheep thief before I let false teachers, cowards and fools rob me of another beautiful, necessary truth from scripture to give to His people
    So yes. I myself use the phrase. Heavily.
  9. Like
    JimR got a reaction from Alan in Personal relationship with Jesus   
    Alan,
    your devotional is very nice.  David clearly had a personal relationship with God.
    Your comment is interesting about how the language about  a personal relationship with Jesus might be confused with how the charismatics approach religion.  I can see that.  On the other hand, charismatics seem to strive for exciting intense experiences.  Also they stress experience with the Holy Spirit and seem to push Jesus off into a corner.
    The issue for us might boil down to this choice: is our relationship with Jesus entirely intellectual or does it feel personal?  Is love a feeling?  My reading of Ephesians 3 suggests to me that Paul knew believers might not go beyond intellectual assent but he prayed that they would.  
     
    Ephesians 3:16-19 King James Version (KJV)
    16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
    17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
    18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
    19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
    Have a happy Thanksgiving!
  10. Like
    JimR reacted to robycop3 in Sabbath Worship?   
    Some confusion has come from  the story of Jesus' crucufixion The self-righteous Jews who wanted Him dead asked the Romans to make sure He & the other two condemned men were dead & to remove their bodies from the crosses before sunset, as the coming day was a Sabbath.
       Now, this wasn't the regular weekly Sabbath, but was a HIGH SABBATH, the first of the two Holy Convocation days that God ordained, first in Ex. 12:16. These days could fall on any day of the week, including  Saturday. (When that occurred, the rules of the regular Sabbath were followed, as well as any special rules for that particular High Sabbath that may apply.)
      The misunderstanding led to the man-made creation of "Good Friday",  in the mistaken belief that Jesus died on a Friday. But actually, He died on a Wednesday before sunset, which began Thursday for the Jews, & was resurrected, I believe on Saturday, shortly before sunset, so by Sunday AM He had been resurrected for several hours. And "Good Friday" isn't actually a "holy day".
     
       As for the regular weekly Sabbath, God gave it only to Israel to observe for ever, so a Jew who worships on Saturday isn't wrong. However, most of the rest of Israel, whoever/wherever they may be, has gotten away from this.
     
     Col. 2: 16Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
      While the Colossian Church was made up of mostly gentiles,  some Jewish Christians (or pseudo-Christians) came there, as they had done almost everywhere Christianity then-existed, & told the gentiles that, in order to be REALLY saved, they must follow the Jewish worship traditions, including Sabbath-keeping. But Paul, on authority from Jesus, told them otherwise, as we see in the above Scripture.
      My "take" is this: If you feel you should keep the Sabbath, by all means, follow your conscience, but if you believe otherwise, follow your conscience as well.
  11. Like
    JimR reacted to weary warrior in Sabbath Worship?   
    "Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand.
     5  One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind. note
     6  He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it."
    If a man regards Sunday as a special holy day, thats between him and God, he is worshiping God and God accepts it. If a man feels God is the God of all, and all days are equally belonging to God, and worships on Thuresday with the assembly because thats when they are free, theyre worshiping God and God accepts it. That's ok too. The Lord who is Lord of the Sabbath is Lord of Tuesday or Friday as well.
    We are not actually commanded to worship on any particular day. The early church DID worship on the first day of the week, yes. They also greeted each other with holy kisses and washed each other's feet. Which we don't do.
    Our own worship and service must follow and adhere to one of two sources. Scriptural command or historical precedent. If we glean through the book of Acts of the Apostles ("acts", actions...the "history" of the Apostles) for our methodology and turn it into mandated doctrine, we are teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. We make traditions into doctrine. And we will be doing silly things like  choosing church leadership by rolling the dice (Acts 1:26). Instead, we pick and choose what traditions we make into mandated doctrine. Into dogma.
    As for my other observation about the calendars, God gave the Hebrew people, who had their own Hebrew calendar, a command to keep a uniquely Hebrew holy day. We don't use that calendar. So an SDA in Cincinnati uses a calendar invented and given them by a Catholic Pope in Europe to observe a Jewish day from a Hebrew calendar, because to observe Sunday worship on that same catholic calender from Europe would be following the leadership and influence of the pope. I just find it humorously ironic the knots we tie ourself up in when we start trying to observe holy days and habits from another time, culture, continent, language and calendar that are not specifically commanded us in scripture, just to be more holy. None of that is what makes us holy. 
     
  12. Like
    JimR reacted to rstrats in Sabbath Worship?   
    DaveW started this topic with what I thought was with regard to weekly meetings on the first day of the week.  He wrote:  "...the Bible is quite plain that organised meetings were absolutely definitely held on Sundays."  Although not specifically stated, my reply was predicated on the idea that he was at least implying that there were multiple accounts of folks meeting weekly on the first day of the week.  So when I wrote there were only two times mentioned in scripture I was referring to weekly gatherings on the first day of the week. I didn't include the Acts reference since it is referring to an annual event.   In the furture I will try to be more specific with regard to my intent. 
     
  13. Like
    JimR reacted to Alan in The Local Church.   
    John,
    Thank you for uploading your testimony on how your sending church sent you to start Edgecliff Baptist Church and give us a living example of New Testament church planting. I appreciate your soul-winning efforts, tract ministry, using new technology (YouTube videos of your services), and dedication. Also, even though, due to health reasons, you had to go back to your sending church you merged your congregation with the other IFB church in the area to provide your members with a good church to join. 
    Your testimony on starting a new church was a blessing to my heart and I am sure to other folks also.
    Looking forward to other testimonies, pictures, or videos concerning a how a new church was started and eventually was self-sustaining and in a more permanent location.
    Alan
  14. LOL
    JimR reacted to heartstrings in The Masons; I've Moved Up.   
    Sometime back i joined the masons, now I've moved to a higher degree
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    stone masons that is. 
     

  15. Like
    JimR reacted to Rebecca in What happened in church today?   
    I thought it might be interesting to see what everyone did in church. Was it an average, interesting, funny, or momentous day? Is it missions conference time? Special services or special guest preacher?  Picnic on the grounds after services? You can talk about anything, share pictures, videos, etc, just keep it focused on what happened at your church (or a church you visited) recently. No controversy, please, I'd like this to be a positive thread. If you're worried about sharing too much personal things online, you can keep it simple, just post what scripture was preached from, the title of the sermon (if any), subject of the sermon, an interesting tidbit from the sermon, or a blessing you think we might all enjoy. It can be as short or as detailed as you'd like.
    I'll start.
    My church recently had combined services with a sister church in the area which  was celebrating their 32nd anniversary. The guest pastor preached on the topic of "Following Jesus". Afterward we had lunch and a good time of fellowship together. 
     

     
     
  16. Like
    JimR reacted to weary warrior in Starting Again   
    Well, after 10 years since the last one, we've accepted a request to take a pastorate of a little church in Washington State 40 miles south of Spokane. They've been looking for a pastor with "callused hands and muddy boots" who can relate to the farmers, ranchers and working men of the area.
    When they first contacted me back in June, we turned down the offer, not feeling we were up to it. But they never found a pastor they were looking for, and we never found the ministry we were looking for. So when they came back around again last month, we accepted after much prayer.
    I'm taking off with a truck and u-haul here in about 3 days for the 2500 mile trip out there. I have no support, no job and no salary waiting. (The church has shrunk to a congregation of...6). We are not worried at all, but are excited to see what God does.
    Our plan? To simply preach straight truth, pray much prayers and love unlovable people. Beyond that, it's in God's hands.
  17. Like
    JimR reacted to weary warrior in Sola Scriptura   
    Psalm 19:1, Psalm 50:6 and Psalm 97:6. Think about it a bit before you just blow it all off. It's a scary thing to take a God that big and put him in a box we can easily wrap our head around, dictating what He can and cannot do.  He can reveal himself how He chooses. There were centuries where men lived without scripture, and there are still 1,000's of languages and dialects now with no "scriptura". God has been revealing Himself to those who seek Him since the beginning of time, in any little, dark corner of earth. And since the scripture tells us this, scripture itself seems to contradict "sola scriptura".
    I always get a little hinky when I hear Latin trotted out and used to draw a big ol' line in the sand that scripture never drew. 
    Sure, Rome is anti-Christ...just don't throw out the baby with the bathwater.
  18. Like
    JimR reacted to Jim_Alaska in The Local Church.   
    What??? No bake sales, rummage sales, yard sales? No begging the community for funds to build a building for the church to meet in?    
    I am a firm believer in a church's members supplying building funds, there is no need, nor is it right to expect the community to provide or asked to provide funds for this.
    My church in Alaska consisted of about forty people at the time that building a building for the church was necessary. All funds for this purpose came directly from God's people as The Lord put it on their hearts.
    As a mission church we met in the pastors house. Within two years we had enough money to build a small 24X24 foot building to meet in. In another year this was added on to for SS rooms for the children.
    Within the next five years we built a decent size church building, added it onto the original 24X24 foot, which then became all SS rooms because we had grown. Our building projects were all paid for by our congregation, we never borrowed a cent for any purpose. All labor was performed by the men of the church, since we had a lot of tradesmen in the membership.
  19. Like
    JimR reacted to Alan in The Local Church.   
    James 2:1-4, “Respect of Persons in the Local Assembly”
    Writing to the saints in a local assembly, the Apostle James said, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not them partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?” James 2:1-4
    Introduction
    By way of context, the Apostle James is exhorting those brethren in the church not to respect other people that come to church by their outward appearance, position in the community, wealth, poverty, or other judgmental attitudes.
    The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31 was told, among other reasons, not to judge by the outward appearance and whether or not a person was wealthy or not.
    The Lord Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Matthew 7:1
    The Lord Jesus condemned those who sought the prominent positions in the synagogues. “And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues.” Matthew 23:6 The Lord Jesus is condemning the respect of persons, partiality, a judgmental attitude towards the poor and a submissive attitude towards the rich in the synagogues in His era. The Apostle James is trying to get rid of these same attitudes in the local assembly. According to the Apostle James, respecting people of wealth, position in life, the outward appearance, and partiality in a local assembly, are among the same faults that were in the Jewish synagogues, and are evil thoughts.
    I would like to note that the situation that was in the synagogues in the time of Christ is strikingly similar to the assembly that the apostle James writes too.
    The Assembly was Not called a House Church
    “For if there come unto your assembly ...” In all of the references to an assembly of believers in a house in the Epistles, the Apostle writing the epistle carefully mentions the owner of the house and the passage clearly indicates that the brethren are meeting in a house. In this passage of scripture, James 2:1-4,  no mention of any believer is mentioned nor is it mentioned that the saints were meeting in a house.
    Assemblies that were House Churches
    1. In Romans 16:3-5 Paul the Apostle was very careful to mention that Priscilla and Aquila had church services in their home. Romans 16:3-5, “Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus: Who have for my life laid down their own necks: unto whom not only I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles. Likewise greet the church that is in their house. Salute my well-beloved Epænetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ.” See also 1 Corinthians 16:19
    2. In the book of Philemon, Philemon was a personal friend, and a helper in the ministry, to Paul the Apostle. In a honour to the spiritual maturity, character, and devotion to Paul the apostle, Philemon is one of the finest examples of the act of grace towards an offender of the Lord Jesus.
    Philemon 1-2 states, “Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ, and Timothy our brother, unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellow-labourer, and to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church in thy house.” The assembly of saints that assembled at the house of Philemon was a house church. The apostle Paul is very careful to give honor those individuals who have willingly offered their house as a church building.
    3. The apostle Paul mentions Nymphas and the church tin his house, “Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.” Colossians 4:15
    A Building for the Assembly of the Saints
    In this passage, James 2:1-4, and by way of context, the entire book of James, the apostle James does not mention it was a house church nor an individual in which the house was assembled in. Therefore, it is highly probable that the assembly of saints were in a building that was either rented, or bought.
    In the gospels it is plainly evident that the Synagogues were separate buildings that the faithful Jews met in in order to worship God. The Lord Jesus, and later the apostles, and the early church, met in the synagogues initially.
    In fact, in Luke 7:1-10, the Lord Jesus commended the faith of the Roman Centurion highly for his donation of enough funds to build a synagogue. “And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he was worthy for whom he should do this: For he loveth our nation, and he hath built us a synagogue…. When Jesus heard these things, he marvelled at him, and turned him about, and said unto the people that followed him, I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel.” Luke 7:4-5 & 9
    In the Old Testament economy, those who loved the Lord, and had faith, willingly donated funds, like the Centurion, in order to build a building in order to worship the Lord God.
    After the Jews in the synagogues rejected the message of salvation, it would be natural for the early Christian saints to follow the practice of the Jews in the Old Testament economy and desire a building as a practical method to meet in instead of a house. As with the saints in the Old Testament economy, those saints who love the Lord, and have faith, like the Centurion, will willingly, and lovingly, give of their funds to build a building for the worship of the Lord Jesus and the proclamation of the Gospel.
  20. Like
    JimR reacted to robycop3 in Sabbath Worship?   
    Most of the meetings of Christians in NT Scripture were on the first day of the week, thich has always been SUNDAY, on our calendars. (Some calendars are made to show Sunday as the last day of the week, for various reasons, usually pertaining to work schedules.)
       But, are we disobeying GOD by having our special worship days on Sundays? Not according to what He had Paul write in Col. 2:16- Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
    (Remember- He gave the Sabbath ONLY TO ISRAEL.)
  21. Like
    JimR reacted to No Nicolaitans in Personal relationship with Jesus   
    I think that the terminology of "a personal relationship with Jesus" is rather vague without clarification...
    I've seen (and heard) it used without a clear meaning too many times. However, I certainly believe in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ...
    (Eph 3:14-19) 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
    God puts the emphasis upon the heart throughout scripture; therefore, if the Lord dwells in the believer's heart, I don't understand how it could be anything other than a "personal relationship".
  22. Like
    JimR reacted to Baptist_Bible_Believer in Calvinism or Arminianism? How do you answer?   
    Amen! I prefer the designation of Biblicist as well. It rather sums it all up pretty nicely.
  23. Like
    JimR reacted to Pastor Scott Markle in Calvinism or Arminianism? How do you answer?   
    I assume that in this thread discussion we are speaking only about the doctrine of salvation (soteriology).  As such . . .
    Of the five points commonly argued, I would hold to ZERO points with Calvinism, THREE points with Arminianism, and TWO points with neither one.
  24. Like
    JimR got a reaction from Alan in Woodworking   
    Wooden toys can be nice.  Preschool age toys should be sturdy, which gives them a clunky look. The vehicles shown in the picture are based on four-inch pieces of lath and the other pieces also were cut from lath, so the cost is very low.  The wheels were purchased but when the bag is empty i will start making my own.
    These vehicles are sturdy and roll well but by the time I had worked out the design, the grandkids were in school.   Woops.  That is just as well because power tools make my ears ring even with the muffs on and sanding affects my lungs.  So, the next challenge is to make toys  with balsa and basswood.  These will only require using a dremel and a sharp knife. The grandkids probably will be in college before i get the design worked out.
     

  25. Like
    JimR got a reaction from heartstrings in Woodworking   
    Wooden toys can be nice.  Preschool age toys should be sturdy, which gives them a clunky look. The vehicles shown in the picture are based on four-inch pieces of lath and the other pieces also were cut from lath, so the cost is very low.  The wheels were purchased but when the bag is empty i will start making my own.
    These vehicles are sturdy and roll well but by the time I had worked out the design, the grandkids were in school.   Woops.  That is just as well because power tools make my ears ring even with the muffs on and sanding affects my lungs.  So, the next challenge is to make toys  with balsa and basswood.  These will only require using a dremel and a sharp knife. The grandkids probably will be in college before i get the design worked out.
     

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