AcceptedintheBeloved

My parents are still together but they have been arguing significantly (I don't live with them anymore).  My father is unsaved, is a secular Jew, and my mother who was raised Catholic has in the past few years informed me of becoming "Christian" has been listening to false preachers like Joel Osteen and Bernardo Stamateas (and his wife Alejandra Stamateas) who don't preach on sin for obvious reasons.  Because I am not fluent in Spanish, I had a feeling in my heart that the Stamateas family is promoting a false gospel and have been looking for confirmation. Yesterday, I found a website that exposed him, which confirmed my suspicion.

I also had a really disconcerting conversation with my mother two days ago where she told me that the Bible says love yourself like you love God.  When I confronted her about this, telling her I read the Bible through every year and my friends (one who is a former pastor) also do, and I don't think any of them can cite a verse of scripture of what she is referring to (with the exception of 2 Ti 3:2).  Then, she became exasperated and said that loving yourself was even part of the Ten Commandments.  I told her countless times to read scripture, even sending her links to A Traves de La Biblia (a translation of McGee's ThrutheBible) so at least she can be weaned as a baby Christian.  I asked her one or two years ago if she asked Jesus to forgive her and she said yes, but it is really hard for me to believe she's saved when she doesn't read nor want to read the Bible (even though she could read Osteen's books) and I don't see a new life in her.  Again, it is not my place to judge.  Please pray for the salvation of both of them.  I had tried to witness to my dad years ago too, especially when he got cancer in 2015 (I believe) which he rapidly recovered from.    I've been very discouraged about them because I don't see how my father can get saved if my mom who professes to be Christian is constantly accusing him of things like cheating or spying on her phone (I think she's paranoid, possibly pathological) if he's always on the defense.  I feel like there would be more hope for him if she did not leave such a bad testimony.  My dad told me a few days ago that all he wants is peace.

I apologize that this is of very personal nature, but since you don't know my name, nor theirs, I do not consider it gossip.  I am just at the point where I feel like there is no hope for them.  Sometimes, it is very hard for me to pray for them consistently because of the discouragement.

Praying

On 3/10/2019 at 12:59 PM, Miss Daisy said:

First, let me preface this with the fact my grandmother's funeral is today and we a lot of family in town. Last night, a few of us got together for dinner at the hotel. I have one cousin and his wife which were there with their 6 kids.  And his older son. He was going to go into the Catholic priesthood, but just before that, he learned his girlfriend was pregnant. He had one child with her. He married his wife and they now have 6 small children. However, from what I know is he has never been self sufficient, providing for his family on his own. He believes God will provide. And he does. But a lot of financial support is from his father. Who's current wife is rightfully angry at the fact the grandfather of the 7 kids helps support them and his 35 year old son and wife.  They're both great parents, but I'm conflicted of them having more until they can independently support their current family. But it's also not my business and I would never say anything to them. 

Thanks for your honesty and two cents.  It really is how the Lord leads.   Some of us have health conditions too, which limits how much we can reasonably care for each child.  I have never had kids yet, but I have been informed by more than one specialist to inform by doctors as soon as I plan on having kids so that my pregnancy could be planned accordingly.

14 hours ago, No Nicolaitans said:

Now you're making a statement that is more clear and concise.

Well, I said that you needed to stop doing it. Along with your disrespectful rendering of people's names in God's word, and your abbreviated hip-speak; your analogies fall short of their intended purposes...

Actually, you've been shown (in this thread from scripture) that there are other sources...

Psa 19:1 KJV To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psa 97:6 KJV The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.

Rom 1:19-20 KJV 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 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 2:14-15 KJV 14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: 15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

Sounds to me like God says there are other sources...

As quoted, God uses/has used  other means to reveal Himself, but I would still say that His greatest revelation to the English-Speaking people was in our A.V and the missionary activities that emanated from this translation (Ro 10:17).

On 11/22/2019 at 8:49 PM, weary warrior said:

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.

Then there is the obvious cf. in Ro 1:20.  It's kind of like how on stories of missionary trips you hear about people's conscience hearing of a Son who died but could not yet connect the dots until another is sent (Ro 10:15).

On 11/20/2019 at 9:20 AM, JimR said:

It seems to me that most believers are guided by scripture but in their hearts they feel scripture is confirmed by the Spirit.  Still, we know we cannot trust feelings.  John seems to acknowledge that perceptions of guidance and insight from the Spirit are real when confirmed by scripture.  We have two witnesses: scripture and the Spirit.  They confirm each other.

1 John 4:2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

Scripture  is the proof that the feeling is valid.  But without the involvement of the heart, how can we love Christ?

i call this Sola Scriptura, but others might disagree.

The following is copied from the Wikipedia article on Sola Scriptura. It shows that while some of the Reformers felt scripture is authenticated by the witness of the Spirit, some baptists would disagree.

”Sola scriptura is a formal principle of many Protestant Christian denominations, and one of the five solae. It was a foundational doctrinal principle of the Protestant Reformation held by many of the Reformers, who taught that authentication of scripture is governed by the discernible excellence of the text as well as the personal witness of the Holy Spirit to the heart of each man. Some evangelical and Baptist denominations state the doctrine of sola scriptura more strongly: scripture is self-authenticating, clear (perspicuous) to the rational reader, its own interpreter ("Scripture interprets Scripture"), and sufficient of itself to be the final authority of Christian doctrine.^[1] “

This "confirmation" is confirmed scripturally in 1 Co 2:10-13.  

On 11/19/2019 at 11:04 AM, Salyan said:

They're (were?) a religious order that followed Benedict's rules. Independent monastic communities, black robes.  Not sure what you mean by needing an unbiased description... what other info are you looking for?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_of_Saint_Benedict 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benedictines

I meant unbiased in the sense that much of history is written by those that conquer and that the Jesuits have managed to permeate many aspects of government and education, and I am assuming the press.  I thought about using wikipedia but I was weary of using it because sometimes the authors of a specific article are partial to what they are writing about.  Ditto for youtube, where there is significant censorship.

22 hours ago, robycop3 said:

 There are many such "orders" among RCs,  with Benedictines & Dominicans being among the most well-known. If these orders follow Scripture, they emphasize some part of it above the rest, while many such orders are strictly the products of men.

 

  Remember, the RCC is the largest quasi/pseudo Christian cult on earth, "having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof".

Right, the Great Private Interpreter.  

I am reading Dr.William Grady's Book, Final Authority about the history/ms., and canonization of the KJV as compared to the faulty Alexandrian ms., and I don't exactly know who the Benedictines are.  I know that they're obviously connected to the Catholics and established a monastery, but I am having a hard time finding an unbiased explanation of them on the internet.  It's not in Grady's glossary or appendix either.