This film, based on the novel "Dinner With A Perfect Stranger", was released in March and is the story of an attorney who is invited to dinner by a man who claims to be Jesus Christ.  She reluctantly accepts the invitation to challenge the man and ends up having her life changed.  It is well acted and I found the film very inspiring.  A great evangelical tool.  I bought a copy from Amazon.

Get off the porn Brother or it will enslave you!!!

Lust is when you try to think of ways to get a woman in bed.  I don't think God is going to smack you upside the head if you look at this girl and think to yourself "I sure like to have sex with her".  All guys do that from time-to-time and it a fleeting thought.  We dont entertain it or try to act upon it - THAT would be lust.  Don't be so hard on yourself.  If you date this girl be sure you control your urges.

[The only requirement for salvation is to repent (turn around from your old ways) and choose to follow God. We are then saved by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.[/b]]

When I look at the scripture, I seem to find different things said about salvation. For instance, look at these verses:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." ~John 3:16

"He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." ~John 3:18

These verses seem to suggest that the only requirement for salvation is belief in Jesus. It offers no other specific conditions. Then I take a look at verses like these:

The only requirement for salvation is to repent (turn around from your old ways) and choose to follow God.  We are then saved by Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.[/b]

"No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." ~John 6:44

"Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father." ~John 6:65

These verses seem to suggest that a person cannot be saved simply by believing in Jesus. It offers the condition that a person must be drawn by God in order to achieve salvation.

What can we make of this? Is it simply a belief in Jesus that saves, or is it required that we are drawn by God first, then we can be saved through this belief?

These verses are simply explaining how we are drawn to make the decision I mentioned above.

Now I don't mean to expose my preacher's business in a bad light, but he did tell us (the church) a story that is relevant to this issue. He said that before he was truly saved, he came to Jesus and asked for salvation. According to him, Jesus said no! Apparently, he was not yet drawn by God, or the Holy Spirit. Why would Jesus have rejected him? It might have been because he wasn't willing to completely surrender to God, but I can't remember the real reason (if he even told it to us).

There is no Scriptural support for the idea that Jesus would reject anyone who comes to Him.

He says that Jesus has to accept us before we are saved. Now I have been drawn by the Spirit, I did go to the alter, and I did confess my sins and ask for forgiveness. Even after all of this, how do I know that Jesus has accepted me? After I left church that day, it still felt like something was wrong. I don't know what exactly. Was it because Jesus didn't accept me? I don't feel the peace that I have heard others speak of. I sometimes feel like I'm going crazy because I constantly wonder whether I have been thinking a particular bad thought long enough for it to be considered a sin. I end up asking for forgiveness for everything 24/7. It's very stressful.

You know Jesus accepted you because the Bible says Jesus has accepted you if you've made the decision in your heart to follow God.  Your salvation is a fact not a feeling.

GKB:

First, let me say that no one's child (pastor or not) should be put in a leadership position unless they are attempting to live a Godly life.

Secondly, you need to realize that the religious organizations we call "church", with all it's doctrine, dogma, rules, regulations, icons and traditions, were not founded by Jesus but by men in an apparent attempt to establish something tangible in place of an invisible God and the cause of Christ has been going downhill ever since.  Jesus called out followers and the leaders and guidlines listed in the Bible were for the Body of Believers NOT religious organizations.

So you need to expect things to happen in the religious organization that cannot be justified Scripturally, especially in these end-times.  You need to find another church or group to fellowship with.

The dumbest part of that article is the assumption that Christians are afraid of science.  There are even Christians in the scientific community.  But this is the sort of thing that, if repeated often enough, people start to believe.     

C'mon people.  You must have certainly learned by now that there are people who try to make themselves feel superior by putting other people down.  Usually they have sins they are having trouble dealing with so they will point out other "sins" to try to get their attention off their own.

1Co 7:14  For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.


This is saying that they are sanctified in the marriage. It does not say anything about it being a relationship with God, just that the marriage is sanctified in the eyes of God.

I'm certain this applies to half an unsaved, married couple getting saved and not to a Christian who marries in violation of the "Be not unequally yoked..." command.  Nothing is said about the MARRIAGE being sanctified, just the husband or wife.  You can't read more into it than is there.

The divorce rate in the "Christian community" is at least as high as it is for the rest of society.  IMO it is because so few "Christians" bother to ask GOD if they are to marry the one they are interested in BEFORE they run to the altar and ask God to bless THEIR choice.  Then they wonder why there is trouble in the marriage.

Just because God created the institution does not mean every marriage is of Him.  He is interested in every aspect of our lives - especially something as sacred as marriage.  Did you ask God?

while I agree with your concept of asking God whom we should marry...my life being a testimony to this fact....that does not alter that once married, even to an unbeliever, we ARE indeed 'married' to them before God.
1 cor 7 is proof of that fact..

That is an opinion that is not supported by Scripture.  To marry outside of God's will (and we've all been taught that God has a plan for our lives) is being just as disobedient as doing anything else outside of God's will.  As far as non-believers are concerned what makes you think that, when a person has no relationship with God, getting civilly married all of a sudden gives the non-believer a relationship with God?

I don't think that's wrong at all.  In fact I encourage you to complain to the company that manufactures them.  God bless.

My destiny is in God's hands.  I altar that destiny by the choices I make and when I fail to reach up and seize it from God's hand.

There is more than one way to understand "complaining".  I believe the Bible addresses what we would call "whining".  But to complain about something is not necessarily wrong.  For example, if you attend a movie and the sound is too loud and you choose to "complain" to the staff that is not wrong.  Or if you return a carton of milk to the store and "complain" to the manager that it is sour that is not wrong.

"Whining" however is usually the result of our being annoyed or dissatisfied about something that affects us or does not meet our expectations and, as believers, we are, or should be, better equipped to handle those occasions.  How we respond to a "whining" situation could be an excellent opportunity for being a good witness.

I believe we need to use every means possible to "get the Word out".  But not at the expense of personal "witnessing" (remembering that a witness is one who testifies to what he has seen or experienced).

I am personally working on establishing a cinema ministry to reach the lost and inspire the Believers through films.  I believe there are many people who would never darken the door of a church but who would go to a movie.  And today there are some fine evangelical films being made that can be mixed with secular entertainment films. 

So whether it's billboards, tracts, computers, television, radio or films let's use them.  Why so Satan be the only one with a great ad campaign going?

Does the word aspartame ring a bell? How about Splenda? Those are the names of two artificial sweetners that are used in drinks. By putting these sweetners in drinks, people can consume less calories than would be present if sugar was used. Thus, you have diet drinks.

However, there have been controversies over the use of artificial sweetners. Not only have aspartame and Splenda been accused of causing health problems, but other artificial sweetners have too. For aspartame, the results of various studies over the sweetner have ended up in contradictions. Some studies claim to have found no adverse effects from its consumption. Others say it causes brain problems.

Now enter the Christian into the equation. Even though we are not yet sure, there is a possibility that aspartame-containing diet drinks are harmful to our health. Should we Christians be drinking such drinks if they are even potentially hurtful to us? Let me say this: I have been drinking diet drinks for a long time now, and I seem to have no obvious side effects from them (perhaps they are just sneaking up on me?). I am willing to take the risk. But is God willing that I should take the risk? Would He want me to stop drinking such things?

I have heard the reports on Aspartame and Sweet & Low.  Pat Robertson has done a number of reports on Aspartame.  And there is a warning on the Sweet & Low package about it causing cancer in lab rats.  But I have never read or seen a negative report on Splenda (a product made from sugar).  So that is what my wife and I use in place of sugar and we are seeing more and more of it in restaurants.  Is it possible you are mistaken about Splenda?  If not, could you please post the info?

You might also check out Romans 1:18-20.  It seems to indicate that those who come to know God through His creation will be saved without hearing the Gospel.  But remember, they too are saved only because of the sacrifice of Jesus.  "...no one comes to the Father except by me..."