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[Grasshopper]

@AndrewAD

It’s very interesting you are saying this. A few weeks ago the same thought occurred to me.

It seems more and more that accepting homosexuality is what it will take to continue enjoying economic benefits and freedoms. We already see here in the U.S. that some Christian business owners are having their livelihoods threatened if they do not conform to laws that are increasingly being made that endorse homosexual lifestyle.

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

Genesis 1:26
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…

The last time I checked, a human being is neither a binity or a trinity. To claim that God is a binity or trinity, would end up making the above scripture an untruth.

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

@EdJ

Was there a conversation that you and I had that I have no memory of? I say that because you are saying “40” this and “hundreds of thousands” that. When did I ever mention numbers to you???
Why do you address me in such a manner?

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

@EdJ

I’m guessing you do not comprehend what I was getting at. The simple way of putting it is that the chosen were called as were many others. The dividing line occurs when many who are called do not stay faithful. Thus, only a few are chosen (the few who REMAIN faithful unto death) amongst those who have been called.

Nothing circular about it…I just choose to not OVER complicate things unnecessarily.

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Grasshopper

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[Grasshopper]

In other words…many are called, but still do not live in Christ or by Christ or for Christ. The ones who DO live in, by and for Christ ARE chosen because they are the righteous ones…they prove they are Sons of God by their obedience to Christ.

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G

[Grasshopper]

“Many are called but few are chosen.”

I think it is quite simple when you really think about it. After contemplation, I realized it could simply mean that even though many are called, not all will obey. The ones that DO obey are the ones that will be chosen.

A reference to the narrow gate, so to speak.

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

@t8

Things are moving fast in that part of the world.

VERY!

Read this article:

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2015/02/what-isis-really-wants/384980/

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

@t8 I have noticed that you say the eighth king is of the seventh, when scripture actually says that the eighth king is of the seven. Your wording implies that the eighth king is directly of the seventh king when scripture says the eighth king is of kings 1-7 (all of them)…not just of the seventh king. I found these commentaries on biblehub, concerning Rev.17:11

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 11. – And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition; and the beast (neuter, θηρίον) that was and is not, he himself is also an eighth (masculine), and is of (ἐκ, out of) the seven, etc. We may note (1) that “eighth” refers to “king” in ver. 10, being masculine gender; (2) the absence of the article before ὄγδος, “eighth,” shows that this is not the eighth in a successive series, in which the kings already mentioned form the first seven. The Revised Version probably gives the correct meaning, “is of the seven;” that is, the beast himself consists of, and is formed by, what has been denoted by the seven kings. We have already interpreted the beast as the worldly power – Satan in his capacity of “prince of this world.” We have also shown that the “seven kings” describes this worldly power as it exists throughout all ages. This verse, therefore, sums up and reasserts briefly what has been already virtually intimated in the symbolism employed, viz. that the beast is the sum total of what has been described under the form of five kings, then one king, and then one king again (ver. 10). His final doom is also reasserted, “he goeth into perdition” (cf. ver. 8 and Revelation 19:20)

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth,…. That was in embryo in John’s time, and yet was not come to its power and grandeur, is the eighth king; and this is the Papacy, which takes the name of the beast, because it is the head of the beast, and the only surviving head of the beast, or Roman empire, now become Papal: and is of the seven; one of the seven heads, and the last of them, and is an idolatrous one, as the rest were, requiring and encouraging the worship of angels, of the virgin Mary, and saints parted: the pope of Rome is the eighth king, and seventh head, the latter with respect to his temporal power, and the former with respect to his ecclesiastical authority; for his government is quite of a different sort from the rest, being of a mixed kind, partly civil, and partly ecclesiastical, and therefore is signified by two beasts in the thirteenth chapter: and goes into perdition; being the son of perdition, and is justly deserving of it; See Gill on Revelation 17:8.

What say you?

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

Romans 8:1-2

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.”

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

There are many things that Christians “allow” in their life that are not healthy e.g. coffee & tea (caffeine -[too much caffeine can damage the heart]), Energy Drinks (have too many in a day and risk dying),Greasy Cheeseburgers and Red meat, in general (clogging of arteries, etc), Sports (how many athletes have died while playing/participating in their sport – they risk severe injury and death everytime they play). Heck, even driving a car is more unhealthy (cars create unhealthy exhaust and increase our chances of dying everytime we get into one) than riding a bicycle. Should a Christian who only rides bicycles condemn the Christian that chooses to drive a car instead? Or vice versa?

I could go on and on, but I think you all get the idea.
The fact of the matter is that scripture says that it is NOT sin if we do not consider it to be sin.

That’s why I am finding this scripture to be VERY interesting and intriguing, indeed…

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

@t8

Good post Grasshopper.

Why, thank ya 🙂

Pretty much what I would have said. Lol, I must make good posts.

Haha! Yeah…you do!…lol ;D

~
G

[Grasshopper]

Some translations use the word “blessed” and others use the word “happy”. I dare say that those two words do not mean the same thing and can effect someone’s deciphering of the scripture.

Regarding what I feel about the overall meaning of that scripture – I feel that this scripture is saying that we have more freedom in Christ than we may have thought we had. It’s also a slippery slope, because we obviously CANNOT do or allow everything that we personally find to be acceptable to us. It has to be things that are not specifically forbidden in scripture. But there’s LOTS of stuff not specifically forbidden in scripture…i.e. Smoking cigarettes or marijuana.

So, if a Christian feels it’s acceptable to himself to smoke, its OK with God (according to the scriptures). But it turns into sin if it makes another follower stumble. OK…so does that mean it’s not ok for a Christian smoker to smoke in front of other believers who oppose smoking, but it’s OK to smoke when no one is there to be stumbled by it, as long as we, personally, find no sin in it?

This scripture is very interesting, indeed…

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

@GeneBalthrop

i THOUGHT i recalled a scripture i thought said that, or something similar, but i have looked for it and can’t seem to find it

I believe the verse/scripture you are referring to is Romans 14:22

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

Found this today…thought I’d share here

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Grasshopper

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CP Opinion
Why All Christians are Actually Non-Denominational
By Dan Delzell
March 27, 2012 | 8:26 am

Your church building may have a denominational name on it. Your mouth might speak often of your own particular denomination. And the majority of your friends may all belong to your denomination. But I’ll tell this much….there is no denominational label imprinted on your soul….and there will be no denominations in heaven.

When you think of your “brand” of Christianity, you may tend to view it with at least a small sense of superiority relative to the other brands out there. After all, you probably wouldn’t be part of it unless you were convinced that it is the closest thing to New Testament Christianity available today. Amidst all the denominations out there, you have carefully chosen to belong to your particular group.

While you may always view your life of discipleship through the lens of your denomination, the Lord doesn’t view you that way. If you are born again, you belong to the body of Christ. He has only one body. He has only one family. There is only one Christian faith by which people enter the kingdom of God. You are either in, or you are out. There are people within all Christian denominations who are in…..and others within those denominations who are out. The true church is an “invisible” church made up of all Christians, regardless of denomination.

Every Christian is actually non-denominational in the deepest sense of the word. You might be choosing to view yourself as completely separate from believers in other denominations, but Jesus does not separate Himself from anyone in His church. Only man makes those divisions. The blood which forgives your sins is the same blood that forgives born again people in other denominations as well. God’s children are related by blood and not by any one denominational label or denominational doctrine.

The Gospel message and the faith which unites all believers are greater than the secondary doctrines that differ from one Christian church to another. When God put His name on you, you became part of something far stronger than any one denomination. A single denomination is like one branch of the tree. Jesus is the true vine. Being on the same tree is more important than being on different branches. It’s natural for man to want to distinguish himself and his branch. “Look at us. We are the ones following Christ the closest.” Oh really. I wonder if our Savior would agree with your assessment….of if He would find it offensive and unnecessary.

Speaking of offensive, it seems like much of what comes out of Hollywood these days is distasteful. There are some exceptions however. In my opinion, one of the most talented actors in Hollywood today is Jim Caviezel. His portrayal of our Lord in “The Passion of the Christ” was amazing. Jim also starred in the movie, “Frequency.” In that film which involves time travel, there is an emotional scene where Jim tells the villain: “You went down thirty years ago, pal. You just don’t know it yet.” Now hold that image and those words in your mind for a second.

If we could travel ahead in time, we would see what heaven will be like and how denominations will be useless and nonexistent in that place. If Jesus spoke to believers today about the various brands of Christianity, I can envision Him saying something like this: “You often think of yourselves with a label like Methodist, Baptist, Lutheran, Assembly of God, Catholic, or Presbyterian. Your souls do not belong to any of those denominations. All of you who are born again are actually non-denominational. You just don’t know it yet.”

This insight has been around for a long time. Martin Luther said, “I pray you leave my name alone. Do not call yourselves Lutherans, but Christians.” John Wesley said, “I wish the name Methodist might never be mentioned again, but lost in eternal oblivion. Charles Spurgeon said, “I say of the Baptist name, let it perish, but let Christ’s own name last forever. I look forward with pleasure to the day when there will not be a Baptist living.” Those giants in the faith certainly had much wisdom for the entire body of Christ.

You may not be following the admonition of those men, but that won’t change the fact that all Christians are actually non-denominational. Fortunately, the labels that come out of the mouths of believers are not imprinted on our souls in time or in eternity. A recognition of that fact can lead us to discover how powerfully the Holy Spirit is working in many Christian churches across the board and around the world.

Memo to all those who are in God’s family through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ: When you arrive at the entrance to heaven, you will have to leave your denominational label at the gate. Sorry. No exceptions.
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[Grasshopper]

@t8 and @ Lightenup

Thank you so very much for your prayers…you have no idea what it means to me <3

@t8

I will pray for Liam and for your family. God heals through Christ and I will pray for healing for your little one. I can imagine how precious Liam is to you and your family, because I feel the same about my children. Scripture says that “all things are possible through Christ” – this is a comfort, brother, which I, myself, am clinging to – especially now.

Regarding your other post concerning addictions of the flesh that you have battled; I , too, know this struggle – Not the same as yours, but just as destructive. Faith in God and Christ has effectively stifled this behavior in me. The more I grow in Christ the more strength I have to resist my temptations.

Praise be to God and to His Christ!

[Grasshopper]

Brothers and Sisters in Christ

My son has been struggling with addiction for years. He is bi-polar which results in him self medicating with alcohol and substances. He had an episode this weekend here at our house involving an argument with his older brother. ( his older brother had had enough of his ranting and raving) So a fist fight broke out. Me and my husband intervened to pull them apart. I was mainly concerned to pull my older son off because he is fully capable of pulverizing my other son. My son that has emotional problems perceived that he was being attacked by both his brother and my husband. He ended up grabbing a knife from the sink, but immediately put it in the back of his pants. There is more detail concerning the call to the police in the midst of it all, etc…but I will leave that out for now as it would make this post seem to be unending. Long story short (which probably WON’T be short) – my middle son (with bi-polar) has had incidents prior to this where we had to call the police. On those occasions, he had been taken to the behavioral health part of the hospital. One of the officers said this time we had a choice, as the family, to decide where he should go – the hospital or jail. Well, another officer that had little concern for my son’s mental health issues decided to take him to jail, arresting him for assault with a deadly weapon, etc..

As of this very moment he hasn’t been officially charged, but the d.a. has until 5pm wed. Jan 21 (PST) to file. I have prayed and fasted these past days and came across an attorney that seems to be willing to help. He was deputy d.a. for 13 years (a prosecutor) but became a criminal defense Atty. A year ago at a law firm. He told me he knows all the judges and lawyers, etc.. He is legit. I feel that God put him in my path. He even told me to not worry about the cost at this point – which makes me believe he will be willing to work with me in that dept. That was yesterday I spoke with him.

Dear Brothers and Sisters I beg for your prayers in this matter. Please, please, PLEASE pray for my son Sebastian….He does not need jail…he needs the hospital and treatment for his addictions. He was under the influence at the time and things only escalated because my older son was confrontational to him…which took it to a higher level. He did not out of the blue pick up a knife and threaten anyone; it was only after he perceived that he was being attacked and beat up by his dad and brother (he was intoxicated at the time and on top of his mental illness he was not in a right frame of mind to see things as they really were)

Sebastian knows that the evil one wants to tear him down through addictions, etc…and he and I talk about Christ and God and scripture all the time. He wants to do good…he wants out of the darkness. But every time he makes even a little bit of progress, the evil one sees to it to tempt him. We could have an in-depth discussion about God and Christ and he has a grasp on the Truth, and verbally acknowledges that that is what he wants..that he WANTS to get to the place where he will give himself fully to God and Christ- and then within that hour he has stumbling blocks(bad influence “friends”) either calling him or knocking on our door!

The evil one is set on trying to destroy Sebastian. I also feel that because I am in Christ, the evil one is using the emotional pain I feel for the torment that has befallen upon my son, to ALSO try and destroy me/my faith. What’s happening to my son is also an attempt to bring me down, as well.

I ask that you please pray for Sebastian’s and for my family. And please also pray God and Christ inspire and give ability to this attorney by the name of Steven S., that he will find it in his heart to help Sebastian.

Thank you.
Your Sister in Christ

[Grasshopper]

@GeneBalthrop

That scripture is not at all implying that one of them sins more than the other. Rather, the scripture is basically saying that even though BOTH were sinners, the one who had MORE love in their heart received more forgiveness BECAUSE of that love. The one who had the lesser amount of love received the lesser amount of forgiveness.

The scripture is a testament of how valuable having “Love” within our hearts is to God.

1 Corinth 13:13
Three things will last forever–faith, hope, and love–and the greatest of these is love.

1Corinth 13:3
If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.

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Grasshopper

[Grasshopper]

Hi @t8

Yeah, that was a post I did before you showed me how to do it correctly 🙂

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G

[Grasshopper]

After you read this, ask yourself if the reversed scenario would ever be suggested by Muslims/Islamists. I dare say THAT would have as much chance of happening as a snowball has a chance in (you know where).

The truth is that THIS scenario should have NEVER been suggested, let alone considered, by people who claim to be Christians/Believers of Christ.

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Grasshopper

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FoxNews.com
Todd’s American Dispatch

Duke backs down, cancels Muslim call to prayer from chapel tower

By Todd Starnes
Published January 15, 2015
FoxNews.com

Muslim call to prayer to sound every Friday at Duke.

Duke University has abandoned its plan to transform the bell tower on the Methodist school’s neo-gothic cathedral into a minaret where the Muslim call to prayer was to be publicly broadcast.

“Duke remains committed to fostering an inclusive, tolerant and welcoming campus for all of its students,” university spokesman Michael Schoenfeld said in a statement. “However, it was clear that what was conceived as an effort to unify was not having the intended effect.”

The first adhan, or call to prayer, had been scheduled to be broadcast on Jan. 16. University officials said, the Islamic chant, which includes the words “Allahu Akbar” would have been “moderately amplified” — in both English and Arabic.

Graham said Muslims have a right to worship in America. He also said there are millions of “wonderful people in Islam that want to live their life and raise their children and they want to be free.” But he also said that Islam is not a peaceful religion.

However, the decision brought a firestorm of national criticism from a number of high profile leaders including Franklin Graham, the son of famed evangelist Billy Graham.

“This is a Methodist school and the money for that chapel was given by Christian people over the years so that the student body would have a place to worship the God of the Bible,” Graham told me in a telephone interview.

He had called for university donors to pull their funding – (and I suspect that had something to do with Duke’s decision.)

Instead, the prayers will be moved to outside the chapel.

“Members of the Muslim community will now gather on the quadrangle outside the Chapel, a site of frequent interfaith programs and activities,” Schoenfeld said.

The university did not say whether the Muslim call to prayer would be “moderately amplified” at the new location.

Christy Lohr Sapp, Duke’s associate dean for religious life, heralded the Muslim call to prayer in a column published by the NewsObserver.com.

“The use of it as a minaret allows for the interreligious reimagining of a university icon,” Lohr Sapp wrote.

For the record, the university says the chapel is not exclusively used for Christian worship. It’s used by students of many different religions.

She imagined what it would be like for a students to walk through the chapel quad and “catch the sight of the student muezzin facing Mecca in the Chapel tower” and how “they might catch a strain of the Arabic proclamation, ‘Allahu Akbar!’ which means ‘God is great.’”

“This opportunity represents a larger commitment to religious pluralism that is at the heart of Duke’s mission and connects the university national trends in religious accommodation,” Lohr Sapp said.

I suspect that would not have gone over very well on Friday, September 11, 2015. Imagine the nation pausing to remember the 2001 Islamic terror attacks as students at Duke University heard the words “Allahu Akbar” echoing from the school’s chapel bell tower.

The idea of a historically Methodist university nearly turning its Christian cathedral to a mosque may very well be a first in the United States.

“I am not aware of any other church bell tower that is also used to announce the Muslim call to prayer,” Lohr Sapp wrote in her NewsObserver.com column.

Graham said Muslims have a right to worship in America. He also said there are millions of “wonderful people in Islam that want to live their life and raise their children and they want to be free.”

But he also said that Islam is not a peaceful religion.

It seems to me that allowing Muslim prayers inside a Christian chapel is akin to desecration, I told Rev. Graham.

“I think that chapel was probably desecrated many years ago,” he replied.

Robert Jeffress, the pastor of the historic First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, and a Fox News contributor called the university’s decision a travesty.

“If I were an evangelical student attending Duke University, I would go to the administration officials today and say that after the 1 p.m. call to prayer by Muslims – I want to get on the public address system and quote John 3:16,” Jeffress told me. “I wonder how diverse Duke would be with that request?”

Duke University has a growing Muslim student population. In 2014, More than 700 of the school’s 14,850 students claim to be Muslim. In 2009, the university created the Center for Muslim Life and hired its first full-time Muslim chaplain.

“The chanting of the adhan communicates to the Muslim community that it is welcome here, that its worship matters, that these prayers enhance the community and that all are invited to stop on a Friday afternoon and pray,” Lohr Sapp wrote.

She hoped that hearing the chant might help Muslim students “feel more at home in a world marred by weekly acts of violence and daily discriminations.”

“From ISIS to Boko Haram to Al Qaeda, Muslims in the media are portrayed as angry aggressors driven by values that are anti-education and anti-western,” she wrote in her column.

Jeffress said Methodists need to revolt.

“Methodist parishioners who believe the Bible is the word of God ought to demand that their denomination cut off any support to Duke,” he told me. “I think John Wesley would be turning over in his grave. This is certainly not the Methodism of John Wesley – a faith that was firmly founded on the Bible.”

I’m still hung on up a phrase that Dean Sapp used – “interreligious reimagining.” In reality, the cathedral has been conquered – desecrated in the name of political correctness.

(Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations.)
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[Grasshopper]

@Camillia

I believe stronger than ever that the Internet (666, WWW) is the IMAGE of the BEAST (Kingdom), and that we serve it.

That is an interesting theory – but, for the most part, I cannot jump on board with that idea.

The internet (WWW) is also a tool used for good. If not for the internet, we (the members of this forum) would probably have NEVER met. I truly believe that God has allowed this technology, so as to be used as a tool for those who hope to seek out righteousness; thusly bringing people to God and Christ – and also a means to help enable The Church to unite as one.

People in remote places now can be witnessed to via the internet. Where else and HOW else would SO MANY people have the ability to compare every single bible translation ever made? And where else and how else would so many be able to keep track of the world’s events as they are unfolding in real time? Scripture tells us to be watchful and awake and wise. One has to acknowledge that the use of the internet allows for all of the above to be accomplished on a grand scale.

True believers of Christ can use the information available through this technology to better equip/guard themselves/ourselves against deceptions waged against us…waged against The Body. This would be incredibly hard to do otherwise.

I dare say that the “WWW” has been a tool used by God to bring many to the Truth…many to The Church. I can personally testify that God’s Holy Spirit has led me to discovering deeper truths of God and Christ by directing me “online” to areas of the “web” that held valuable amounts of wisdom and insight.

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Grasshopper

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