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Theology / Debate / Whats Your Favorite Drink?
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on: June 15, 2004, 04:20:37 PM
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Matthew 6:25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Sooooooooooooo You also like Ice Tea Ollie Hmmmmm? Did I miss a hidden meaning somewhere along the line? I do like ice tea. I have no favorite liquid refreshment. There are many that I can take or leave. That is if we are talking about physical liquids that we consume through the mouth. There is the Holy Spirit that we should be drinking in with unquenchable thirst. He will pour himself all over and throughout the faithful. Ollie "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, AS SILVER AND GOLD, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; "But with THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (IPet.1:18,19). 1 Corinthians 12:13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.1 Corinthians 12:13. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.NO water here Ollie, this is the "ONE" and only Baptism for this age of GRACE Ephesians 4:9.
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Theology / Bible Study / "Blessed Assurances"
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on: June 15, 2004, 03:58:19 PM
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Blessed assurances The blessings of Rom. 5 Part two
Today we begin with Paul asking phrase which is, "We have....."
"Therefore, having been justified by faith," Paul writes, "we have..."
What does it actually mean to say, 'we have'? This is a present tense verb that indicates continual possession. An uninterrupted, continual possession of all of the following blessings. Having settled the matter of salvation, we presently and continually have as our constant possession the blessings that are coming up. These are not blessings that come and go, or vary from day to day depending on our circumstances, or our obedience or faithfulness or spiritual experience, these are constants, real 'Blessed Assurances.' Things that every believer in Christ can be sure of all the time.
No. 1 Peace with God
"Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have at all times now that we are save, peace with God. He no longer has anything at all against us, in fact we can now be assured that He is "for us" --"If God be for us who can be against us?" Romans 8:31. Because of the cross where the Lord paid for everything we've ever done or ever will do wrong, God says to the believer that we have as our constant possession at all times, peace with Him. He is for us, on our side, in our corner.
Of course, we each have a personal struggle with an enemy who restlessly wants to convince us otherwise. Satan uses every possible circumstance, every possible "wile of the devil" to try to shake our confidence, and make us wonder if the indeed God is really on our side at all. But as long as we remember and believe that (God has nothing against us and is on our side, we are invincible, unbeatable.
I mean, as Paul says, If Almighty God is on our side -- think of that! -- then really, who can be against us -- they try to be, but who can succeed against us if God is on our side?
But we need to always remember, it is "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." This is all by the grace of God and not by our own worthiness, our own efforts and good works. It is all because of Him and His cross work for us. Believe it and be thankful forever!
No. 2 Standing in Grace
Romans 5:2 'through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand."
Not only do we have peace with God as our present continual possession through Christ, but also through Him we have "access by faith into this grace....."
'Access' could well be translated here as a 'welcome.' Through the Lord Jesus, God actually welcomed us into His grace through faith. The red -- carpet was rolled out, enemies were invited to come, even welcomed into this amazing grace when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus who paid the penalty in full for us.
And once we enter into this grace of God salvation by believing in the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, we are now told even further, not only were we welcomed into this grace, but now we are 'standing in this grace.' We were welcomed into this grace at the moment of our salvation, and now ever after we are standing in grace.
For one thing, that means that there is no way we can "lose our salvation." We're not standing in our own works, or our own faithfulness. We would all fail. But we are standing in His grace --"And if it is by grace it is no longer by works, otherwise grace is no longer grace. Romans 11:6. Our standing before God no longer depends upon our works but is then his grace. We are not standing in a performance system, but in his grace.
No. 3 We have a sure hope.
Paul finishes verse 2 by writing, "and (we) rejoice in hope of the glory of God."
We had read in Rom. 3:23, that we all fall short of the glory of God. If we didn't let God save us by His grace, none of us would ever see the glory of God in heaven. Now, though, because of the cross and His grace, we are rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.
"Hope" here is not the weak sort of "hope" that we often speak of in English. We sometimes hear a person say, "I hope I'm going to heaven." That's more like "wishing" for it.
Like saying, "I hope it doesn't rain and ruin our picnic." That is a wish, something that we want but are very unsure whether we'll get.
You can't "rejoice" in a hope like that! How could anyone rejoice in something that they aren't even sure that they have?
This "hope" that Paul writes about though is not like that. It is a hope that is sure for the future. I am sure, I expect to see the glory of God, I know I'm going to heaven because the Lord has paid for everything wrong that I've ever done or ever will do, therefore I am rejoicing ahead of time. When a believer thinks about the Lord's coming for us, or when we think about dying, we see these things as events full of joy. We have here an assurance in the face of get us and the uncertainties of life.
Let's stop and quickly review the blessings of these first two verses in Rom. 5.
No. 1 We have peace with God -- --He is on our side, He is for us -- -- at all times and in every circumstance.
No. 2 We were welcomed into His grace and now we are standing in his grace by faith in the Lord Jesus. We are not on a performance system to earn God's love or to keep this relationship alive. We are standing in His grace and therefore it is "no longer of works, otherwise grace isn't grace anymore." (Rom. 11:6)
No. 3 We are rejoicing in our expectation and hope of one day sharing in the glory of God in heaven. In the present we have peace and grace, for the future we have a sure hope of glory. What more could we ask?
Con't. tomorrow
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48
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Theology / Bible Study / "Blessed Assurances"
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on: June 12, 2004, 08:02:33 PM
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"Blessed Assurances" The Blessings of Romans 5
A famous old pastor in Chicago came to the end of his life. He had preached the grace of God for decades to a large congregation and an even larger radio audience. On his death bed, in the last moments of his life, he recited from memory a passage of scripture which spoke of the assurances that he enjoyed as he faced the near end of his earthly life. The passage? Romans 5:1-11.
In Romans 5 God tells us of a set of blessings that are basic to the Christian life. Here is a great chapter to study, and blessings that we need to understand and apply in our lives, and a great chapter to memorize so that we can recall these vital truths whenever we need them, whether in the midst of life or at the time death.
Romans 5: 1--11
1. Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2. through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations knowing that tribulations produces perseverance; 4. and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6. For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9. Much more then having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11. And not only that, but we also rejoice through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the recon-ciliation.
Let's study this passage thought by thought. Romans 5:1-- "Therefore, having been justified by faith...".
The chapter begins with Paul looking back over his shoulder to the things which he explained in Romans 3 and 4. If we're reading thru Romans as we get to chapter 5, we've already read, "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," Romans 3:24.
To be 'justified' means to be declared 'righteous' in the sight of God the Judge. Not only are we've forgiven for all of our sins (Colossians 2:13), but we are actually declared by God to be righteous in Christ -- all that God expected and demanded and required of us is now credited to us, so now He can bless us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ ( Eph.1:3). How could God do this for sinful people?
Remember again in Romans 3:24 "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." 'Justified freely,' that means 'without a cause in ourselves.' It's not be-cause we're so good or righteous, in fact God says "there is none righteous no not one" Romans 3:10, but now, without a cause or reasoning in ourselves, God has declared us right-eous in His sight "by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus!"
Because of what the Lord Jesus did for us at the cross when He took the blame and accepted the guilt of our sins and made the full payment for them all by dying for us, now God says, "Don't look for a cause in yourself, but by My overflowing grace I consider you to be righteous in my sight and will treat to as a righteous person forever."
What did we have to do to receive this amazing righteous-ness? "But to Him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteous-ness." Romans 4:5.
We have to do nothing -- -- it's to him who does not work! -- -- stop even trying to save ourselves and let Him save us by His grace thru the redemption/payment that is in Christ. On the cross the Lord did all the work that was required by God for Him to be able to save any person who puts his faith, trust, reliance in the LORD as his Savior.
So our passage in Romans 5 begins with this backward glance to the previous chapters in the letter and sums them up with this opening phrase: "Therefore, having been justified by faith..." Paul is saying, now that we have settled this matter of salvation by the grace of God thru faith now let's go on to see what the results of that salvation are.
by Dennis Kiszonas
Con't tomorrow
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Theology / Apologetics / Acts 2:38 Explained
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on: April 03, 2004, 08:16:33 PM
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In a nutshell:I believe Acts 2:38 is – it is not a salvation message today whatsoever. wow where did you find that nutshell? From Paul - I Cor. 15:1-5 - Again, Peter's message is different - you can't see that? Then to quote Paul, is Christ divided? Why give Peter the keys to the kingdom, if Pauls going to come along and change the locks. The NT is better understood when you fully reconize it is one great unifying, but distinctively told, message about Jesus Christ. This is the "gospel", and the apostles and writers of the NT (inspired by GOD) are in unity of message and spirit, and with this in mind, if what they have written does not SEEM to leave them in agreement with one other, then you must start the "rightly dividing" all over. Furthermore, to say the salvation message as penned and inspired by God thru Peter is not God`s salvation message to us, is to preach another gospel, and surely not the gospel Paul preached - very sad Someday soon I pray you will find that this teahing is true, the only thing sad is most do not see this.
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54
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Theology / Apologetics / Acts 2:38 Explained
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on: April 03, 2004, 07:20:04 PM
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Many a people have missed salvatoin because they've been taught Acts 2:38 is a plan of salvation - very sad Context of Acts 2 – Peter is preaching a message in light of the events that took place earlier – the Holy Ghost coming down. In a nutshell: Peter preaches to the Jews saying, “This Jesus of whom your patriarch David spoke of was your Messiah and look what you did – you murdered him.” The Jews got convicted and said, “What must we do?” Notice they didn’t say, “What must we do to be saved? Like the jailer said later in Acts 16:30. The didn’t asked what to do to be saved because they were not hearing a message about salvation at that time for Peter did not even know about Christ dying for sins at that time. The Jews at Pentecost asked, “What must we do in light of us murdering our messiah?” Peter answers: “Repent” – not of your sins but of murder and of their rejection of God the Father in the OT and of Jesus in the gospels! “And be baptized” – according to John’s baptism - Now, why did John baptize? Look at John 1:31 - And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. The message during John’s time was, (my paraphrase) “Believe that Jesus was the messiah and to show you believe get baptized.” The issue was – were they going to believe that Jesus was their messiah for if not they would die in their sins - John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. The message wasn’t the message we preach today (I Cor. 15:1-5). The message was, “Believe Jesus is your messiah and get baptized.” “in the name of Jesus Christ” – see above – the issue was believing that Jesus was the messiah not believing Jesus was your saviour as today. “for the remission of sins” – notice Peter used the word remission not forgiveness. Israel would not be forgiven till the second advent (Acts 3:19,20). “and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” – self-explanatory. The tongues were there as a sign of judgment to the unbelieving Jews that were there (I Cor. 1:22; 14:22). Don’t want to start another thread here but the reason the signs and gifts are gone today is because God is not dealing with Israel as a nation so the signs left off the scene. When God dealt with unbelieving Jews he always used signs. The tongues were a sign of their rejection of their messiah. Remember tongues are for a sign not to believers but for unbelievers. A little different from how people use tongues today. That is enough for now but that is what I believe Acts 2:38 is – it is not a salvation message today whatsoever. May God bless Good teaching, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMen
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Theology / Bible Study / GOOD WORKS - Two Minutes With The Bible
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on: April 03, 2004, 07:07:30 PM
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NOTE: This my last day on ChristianUnite Grace & Peace GOOD WORKS By Cornelius R. Stam Millions of people are striving to make themselves ac- ceptable to God by good works. Such people can never be sure of salvation, for the simple reason that they can never be sure whether they have done enough good works or whether they have done them in the right way. Some sup- pose that heaven can be won if our good works outweigh our evil works, but this does not make sense either, for good works are what all of us ought to do and even one evil deed would prevent a just and holy God from justifying us or admitting us into His presence. Let’s not put the cart before the horse. God does expect good works from His children but not as payment for sal- vation, for eternal life and glory could not possibly be bought at any price. "Christ Jesus came into the world," says the Apostle Paul, "to save sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15). Then, having saved them by grace, He expects them to do good works out of gratitude. It is interesting to compare Tit. 3:5 with Tit. 3:8: Tit. 3:5: "NOT BY WORKS of righteousness which we have done, but ACCORDING TO HIS MERCY HE SAVED US." Tit. 3:8: " ...these things I will that thou affirm constantly, THAT THEY WHICH HAVE BELIEVED IN GOD MIGHT BE CAREFUL TO MAINTAIN GOOD WORKS. ..." Faith is the root; good works the fruit. Thus we read in Eph. 2:8-10: "For by grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Subscribe at: http://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/twominut.htmlTwo Minutes With The Bible By Pastor Stam Mailing Address: Berean Bible Society N112 W17761 Mequon Road P.O. Box 756 Germantown, WI 53022 Web Site: http://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/Gospel Books, Materials, & Free Mailings Email: berean@execpc.com
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57
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Fellowship / You name it!! / Lost Jobs and Mrs. Kerry
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on: April 03, 2004, 06:46:05 PM
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Lost Jobs and Mrs. Kerry
Kerry does not like off shore companies: Oh, Really??
Just came across a bit of information regarding Kerry and his claim of the Bush administration sending jobs abroad.
Well, it seems that the Heinz Corporation, owned by Kerry's wife, has 79 plants where it manufactures products and 57 of the 79 are located in countries outside of the U.S. How many U.S. jobs are lost here???
Factories located at: Taipei, Taiwan (makes Heinz baby foods) Dublin, Ireland; Paris, France; Dovarmenez, France; Lisbon, Portugal; Madrid, Spain; Milan, Italy; Monguzzo, Italy; Athens, Greece; Warsaw, Poland; Pudliszki, Poland; Wodzislaw, Poland; Miedzychod, Poland; Moscow, Russia; Georgievisk, Russia; Cairo, Egypt; Tel Aviv, Isreal; Haifa, Isreal; Elst, The Netherlands and 6 other plants there; Brussels, Belgium; Dusseldorf, Germany; Seesen, Germany; Turnhout, Belgium; Rovereto, Italy; Chateaurenand, France; North York,Ontario, Canada; Wheatley, Ontario, Canada; Caracas, Venezuela; San Jose, Costa Rica; Johannesburg, South Africa; Gaborone, Botswana; Harare, Zimbabwe; Cheguta, Zimbabwe; Wellington, South Africa; Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Republic of Singapore; Auckland, New Zealand; Tokyo, Japan; Guangzhov, People's Republic of China (makes infant cereal); Qingdao, People's Republic of China (makes infant foods, ketchup, mayonnaise & puree); Inchon, South Korea (makes Heinz products and StarKist); Bangkok, Thailand; Mumbai, India; Jakarta, Indonesia; Surabaya, Indonesia; Manila, Philippines; Wanchai, Hong Kong. Also recently purchased from Bordens these products: Classico Pasta Sauce; Aunt Millies Pasta Sauce; Mrs. Grass Receipt Soups; Wylers Bouillons & Soups.
Think of the conflict of interest a President would have who's wife owns business interests in all of these countries and others.
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Theology / Bible Study / Anger Management - Daily Inspirational...
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on: April 03, 2004, 06:38:26 PM
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NOTE This is my last day on ChristianUnite. Grace & Peace Anger Management "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil." -- Ephesians 4:26,27 Around the turn of the century, the Church was graced with an array of great preachers, but none were more tenacious and outspo-ken than Billy Sunday. He seemed to have a way of driving home a point. It is said that a woman once approached him after one of his meetings who was well known for her bad temper. She sought to defend her actions by saying: "But Mr. Sunday, although I blow up over the least little thing, it's all over in a minute." The evangelist looked her straight i n the eye and said, "So is a shotgun blast!! It's over in seconds, too, but look at the terrible damage it can do." God created us with a wide range of emo-tions, each of which serves a purpose. Yes, even anger can be good. Contrary to popular opinion, anger itself is not sinful. Notice how the apostle words his above statement, "Be ye angry, and sin not." In essence, Paul is saying that we are well within our rights to be angry over an in-justice or unrighteous circumstances. The recent debate over "partial birth abortion" is a good example. We should be incensed by "abortion" in general and horrified by "partial birth abortions" in particular. Any procedure (usually perform-ed at 7 or 8 months gestation) that allows the infant's head to remain in the birth canal while the abortionist forces a surgical instrument into the base of the skull to suction out the little one's brains is nothing short of first degree murder. Here a right-eous anger is perfectly justified. In fact, there are scores of times in the Old Testa-ment where the anger of the Lord is said to be kindled against His enemies (Num. 25:1-9; Jer.12:13). Surely our Lord is a prime example that anger itself is not necessarily sinful, for He knew no sin. Thus the Lord was well within the boundaries of godly behavior when He exhibited a righteous anger toward those who had made His Father's house a den of thieves (John 2:13-17). In the future Tribulation Period those who reject God's anointed and worship the beast and his image, "the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of His indig-nation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone" (Rev. 14:10). Carefully note, Paul adds to the phrase "be ye angry" a warning, "and sin not." Unbridl-ed anger can easily turn into a fit of uncon-trollable rage which normally leaves a path of destruction in its wake. Unchecked, anger that overflows into resentment almost always results in some form of retaliation. This may take the form of verbal attacks, threats, or even physical abuse. In a worst case scenario, it is much like a volcano that builds pressure over a period of time and finally erupts. Whenever you watch a news report of a lone gunman who enters his former place of employment with a semi-automatic weapon and kills his supervisor and three other fellow workers, you are witnessing the eruption of pent-up anger. Another example is the believer who allowed his anger to get the better of him and shot an abortion doctor outside a clinic down south. With one pull of the trigger, this young man disgraced the name of Christ, labeled all Christians as radicals in the eyes of the world, destroyed his personal testimony, and ended up with life in prison. These are both cases where anger spun out of control with tragic results. How to Deal with Anger We are living in a day when philosophy says, "express yourself openly," "tell it like it is," "open up," "let it all hang out." How-ever, the Scriptures counsel us to exercise restraint. The fruit of the spirit is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22,23). As we walk by grace through faith, temperance will enable us to keep our anger under control. But how does this work out in a practical sense? Those who fly off in a fit of rage permit their anger to take control of them. Consequently, the energy emitted from this emotion is usually misdirected at someone or some-thing. Sinful anger tears down. Thus, in the heat of the moment things are often said and done which cause irreparable damage to relationships. Paul adds here in Ephesians, "let not the sun go down upon your wrath." We should never allow our anger to simmer overnight. This will only cause it to become more deeply seated. "Neither give place to the devil" (Eph. 4:27). You see, if you fail to handle things in the proper manner, you may well be giving Satan an opportunity to drive a deeper wedge in your relationships with others. Surely, we are not ignorant of his devices. Always remember, Satan is an opportunist. By Paul M. Sadler, +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Should this devotional be a blessing to you, maybe you have a friend or family member that would like to start receiving the daily word. You may forward this to them, by copy and paste method, and they can use the below link to subscribe. We love to meet new people. Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: Daily Inspirational WEB SITE Grace And The Truth www.graceandthetruth.comE-Mail GracentheTruth@aol.com 2 Tim 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
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