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End of Times

May Jesus fill us with his love and wisdom

God gives us the ability to plant the seeds, but it is God who causes the plant to grow and then he sends us back out to harvest.
The parable of the Sower has been on my mind for the last few days now, and it seems to me that while we have little control over the response of those that receive the seed, what the seed contains and how it is sown are within our control, it never ceases to amaze me how we all believe in the same God, in his son, our Saviour Jesus Christ and all have the same Holy Book, yet our beliefs and our lives that flow from those beliefs are so different. So its not just the fact that we sow, but the content of that seed and the manner in which its sown thats so important. Do we sow the Truth, Compassion and justice of Gods word , or do we sow Hate, Division and Lies based on our own prejudices. And do we sow in a spirit of Love, tolerance and Humility or do we sow with Anger, Arrogance and intolerance. God may cause the plant to grow, but he sends us out as his sowers and we must ensure we do the best we can to sow good seed and in the best manner possible..
 
I never mentioned Socialism or Communism, why is it Socialism or Communism to want a more just and equitable world, a world where theres not a billion people living in abject poverty on a few $'s a day while the privileged few enjoy lives of comparative wealth and comfort, a world where 15,000 children dont die every day from malnutrition and disease, a world where nearly 800 million people dont have access to clean water and over 2 billion have no access to improved sanitation, where medical services and education are priced out of reach of the poor and where their daily struggle to survive encompasses horrors that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares, why is wanting those lives to be free of suffering and death equated with Socialism and Communism when Christ called on his followers to Love their neighbours as themselves and treat others as they'd want to be treated,....... how can we have the Love of God within us if we see someone in need, have the means to help yet refuse to do so and continue with our lives of plenty. If we see Christ in the lives of the poor and marginalised how many times can we ignore his need yet still claim to love and follow him?. Why is it Socialism or Communism to campaign against the systems and institutions, the selfishness and greed, that make the world the Hell that it is today?. It seems to me that Christ demands nothing less of us than being the Beacons of Justice and Compassion in a very dark world, for if we dont fight against Injustice and suffering then by our very silence we are complicit in it.

Yes i read Thessalonians and wondered how that fits in with Christs depiction of the Day of Judgement in the "Sheep and the Goats", Matthew 25 vs 31-46, for there is nothing there about whether the recipient of our Love and Compassion is worthy or not, in fact those in need, for whatever reason they are in need, are depicted as representing Christ himself, are we to turn away Christ because we view them as being idle?, also in Matthew 5 vs 42 Christ says" Give to him that asks , and from him that would borrow of you turn not thou away", are you saying that Christ got it wrong and meant to add the caveat, " as long as theyre not idle"?, or do you think that the Commandment " love your neighbour as yourself" and "treat others as you'd want to be treated" only applies to those you consider worthy of your Love and Compassion. Alls i can say is that when theres an apparent anomaly or contradiction in the Bible, which i put down to my ignorance, then i always choose , as a Christian , to follow Christs teachings, and until someone can explain the matter further will continue to give to those in need regardless of their circumstances.


I dont think that at all Brother Nick, we have a different view of Christs teachings and discussing them here , on this forum, enables us all hopefully to see things clearer and live our lives as Christ wants us to. And to do so in a spirit of Christian compassion and tolerance is greatly appreciated.

I would have tried to respond to Job with the same Love and Compassion Christ demands of all his followers. I see no distinction on having my focus on God and on trying to bring his Love into this Suffering World. The 2 are synonymous, for when Christ was asked in Mark 12 28-34, "What is the greatest commandment" he replied, " The first of all commandments is To Love the lord your God with all your Heart, Soul and mind ...... and the second is likewise, thou shalt love your neighbour as yourself", Our Love of God and the circumstances of our Neighbour, particularly those suffering and in need, cannot be separated, read Matthew 25 vs31-46 again, to see how Christ is here on Earth , living amongst us in the poor and marginalised. "For what Does the Lord require of us, but to act justly, and to love Mercy and to walk humbly with him".

With the love of Christ Jesus Brother Nick

Steve
May Jesus fill us with his love and wisdom

Just out of curiosity, Jesus referred to the Centurion as someone with the greatest Faith he had ever seen. And yet the Centurion was asking him to heal his servant.

Did Jesus healing his servant, And Making his servant spend more time serving this Centurion, does this mean that Jesus accepts people to be slaves to others?
 
Ok, so you take option 3, once more evading. You ask me to agree with Matt 5:22 as you rip Matt 5:32 from your bible. I agree with all scripture. Scripture sheds light on scripture. Any who teach should be aware of this fact. Teaching half truths can truly stumble people. In your case, you do it intentionally as you have been given Matt 5:32 to add to Matt 5:28, yet you ignore it. That is false teaching.

Many and I mean many false teachers and Christian ''wannabe's'' teach that sin is sin, full stop. Scripture is crystal clear that A. Sin is sin and B. Sin has degrees. We need to make sure to teach both at the same time. There are many more scriptures other than Matt 5:32 that need to be considered on the topic. I have listed them in the OP here: Degrees of sin - Poll

I can just imagine someone like you standing before God one day. ''God I could not stop my repeated mortal sin. I kept quoting and reading only those lines in scripture that say we are all sinners. Some think about doing, I actually did it and encouraged others to also do it. There was some random guy on the internet that kept quoting how you ordained a graphic and violent death by stoning for certain sins, but I chose to troll him and ignore him. You know my heart. Somewhere in it I do love you, cough cough cough cough. Please welcome me into heaven.'''

I can see God staring at you in disbelief. He will look behind Him at all in heaven and ask if anyone, literally anyone wants you as a neighbour. Someone who taught half truths and refused to concede to the fact that mortal sin shows a heart that does not in anyway shape or form even try hate what is evil as Rom 12:9 tells us to. Nobody will want you as a neighbour.

False teachers have only Matt 18:6 to look forward to - If anyone causes one of these little ones, those who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
This is all getting a bit confusing and tbh i've sorta lost the plot. My position is, Sin is sin, but of course there are degrees of sin, you quoted about the candy shop thief, well theres no way that can be comparable to a mass murderer, who with the stroke of a pen, that slashes Overseas aid or confirms arms sales to a genocidal regime, and condemns millions to a life of suffering, destruction and death. OK thats my first point, secondly sin is not just in action, but is also in word and thought, and in some cases those words and thoughts will condemn the sinner to as great a punishment as committing the sin itself, if they are not repented.

So without going over the same ground again and again could i offer some advice, you probably wont take it but i'll offer it anyway. I see our posts here on Talk Jesus as planting seeds, we offer our beliefs and views of Christs teachings, others either agree or disagree and that seed either grows or withers away. So obviously what we say is important, but just as important is the way we say it. If we come across as arrogant and self righteous , abusive or lacking tolerance then no matter the righteousness of our message, those in receipt of it will be less likely to accept its content. I understand anger, i get angry, very angry at the Injustice, greed and indifference i see, both in myself and in others, and thats the crux of it, we must recognise that we are also sinners who perhaps in the eyes of others engender the same anger they do in us. So by all means be passionate in your sowing, but do so in the best way you can , with tolerance and humility, and understand that not all will hear your message, perhaps few will, for Christ himself said that few there are to be saved and many that profess belief in him will be turned away, but you have tried your best to sow what you believe to be the truth in the best way you can....... and always remember, you just might be wrong, so try to have an open mind and understand this aint always about winning, but that we're ALL here to learn.

One last thing, it aint always a good idea to put yourself in Gods place come Judgement Day, could be viewed as just a little arrogant dont you think?. :)
 
This is all getting a bit confusing and tbh i've sorta lost the plot. My position is, Sin is sin, but of course there are degrees of sin

Well then you have clearly changed your mind. Originally you spouted nonsense about sin not having degrees. Teaching that racist thoughts were the same as torture and murder. Nice to hear you have come to your senses.
 
but you have tried your best to sow what you believe to be the truth in the best way you can....... and always remember, you just might be wrong, so try to have an open mind and understand this aint always about winning, but that we're ALL here to learn.

One last thing, it aint always a good idea to put yourself in Gods place come Judgement Day, could be viewed as just a little arrogant dont you think?. :)

I don't think you understand what an important job we have in both A. Spreading the truth and B. doing so in fear and trembling of God. Phil 2:12

I accused you of spreading lies and having no fear of God. I gave you many scriptures to make my case, it was not my opinion. Think on that. You are the one here typing essay long posts with no scripture but only feel good opinion. Christians are to judge Christians 1 Pet 4:17. We are to keep each other on the straight and narrow. There are no snowflakes in Christianity. If you think we have a responsibility to be snowflakes, you need to change religion.

Teaching that sin is sin, that we must accommodate mortal sinners and pass equal blame of evil intent on venial sinners is false teaching.

It is a line that can stumble every single weak and young Christian.
 
I said i'd get back to this, so what does Matthew 6 25-34 mean to me, to me it calls on the followers of Christ to cast off the cares of this World,. the deceit of Riches and the lusts of other things so that the seed of our faith can indeed become fruitful, to seek the Kingdom of God and to Hunger and thirst for his Righteousness, to act Justly, to love Mercy and to walk humbly, and if we are persecuted for Righteousness sake , be it by the authorities or reviled and persecuted by others then we are indeed blessed........ as to my thoughts on the video you posted about the protest inside the Church against ICE, first of all my apologies about not responding before, i just overlooked it, i found the manner of the protest too confrontational and Provoking, i can understand how enflamed the protesters were, it was a very emotional time, but at times like that its better for cooler heads to take control, by all means protest, but holding placards OUTSIDE the church would have been better , both from the view of keeping the protest peaceful and trying to get their message across, people rarely respond to shouts, insults and threats, i dont know how many of the protesters were Christians, but Christ calls on us to Love our enemies, bless those that curse us and do good to those that hate us, yeh thats hard, but whoever said that being a Christian would be easy, a life of sacrifice and self denial in the name of Love, hardly a recipe for comfort and success in this evil world

With the love of Christ Brother Nick
Yes, fully agree and we also need to know our enemy!
 
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As you ended it, is the crux of Matthew 6:25-34. We do not seek comfort and success as this evil world sees it. These illegal immigrants are not moved by faith in what God can provide, but by what the USA, seen as a god or a breadbasket if you will, can provide them. Instead of relying on the One True God.

From the start, they’ve been breakers of the Law, hiding in the shadows because the light of truth exposes their wrongdoing. They try to bring about good through it, not realizing that only God can truly do that, and that even then, God still offers them mercy over judgment. While the world condemnation. Trying to reverse this order is wrong brother. No matter how unfair a law might seem, as believers we should live within its boundaries, so we’re seen as Children of the Most High rather than as opponents of order, which, in truth, is what the world around us often is—the opposite of what is good.

Don’t focus on changing the whole world, because that’s not something we can do. Start with one person, guiding them so they can know the One True God through Jesus Christ, His Son. That’s how we do what He’s called us to do. He has already overcome the world! There is victory in Jesus, and no matter how it may look, it’s found in Him alone.

With the Love of Christ Jesus, Brother Steve.
YBIC/Moderator
Nick
\o/
<><
We are in a Spiritual W A R and we need to recognise the enemy, and stay focused on Our Father God!
 
This last sentence I thought explained what I was getting at:
"These verses collectively teach that obedience to civil government is expected, unless a law directly conflicts with a higher moral or spiritual duty to God."
Know Your Enemy, Focus on God
The Bible teaches that our primary spiritual battle is not against people, circumstances, or even our own weaknesses, but against spiritual forces of evil—the devil, demonic powers, and the world system opposed to God (Ephesians 6:12). To "know thy enemy" means understanding Satan’s tactics: deception, lies, fear, and temptation (2 Corinthians 11:14; 1 Peter 5:8). However, knowing the enemy is not about obsession or fear—it’s about discernment and readiness.
Blessings : )
 
  • 1 Peter 2:13–17, where Peter urges believers to submit to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, including rulers and authorities.
  • Matthew 22:21, where Jesus says, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s," affirming the principle of paying taxes and respecting civil authority.
  • Acts 5:29, which establishes the exception: "We must obey God rather than men" when human laws contradict God’s commands.
These verses collectively teach that obedience to civil government is expected, unless a law directly conflicts with a higher moral or spiritual duty to God.
Know Your Enemy, Focus on God
The Bible teaches that our primary spiritual battle is not against people, circumstances, or even our own weaknesses, but against spiritual forces of evil—the devil, demonic powers, and the world system opposed to God (Ephesians 6:12). To "know thy enemy" means understanding Satan’s tactics: deception, lies, fear, and temptation (2 Corinthians 11:14; 1 Peter 5:8). However, knowing the enemy is not about obsession or fear—it’s about discernment and readiness.
 
No problem. I understand how it goes. :)


Actually, you may not think that you are, but in truth you are. There are different ways of trying to illicit compliance with your thoughts/beliefs from others. One of them, is supporting protesters/organizations that are trying to get others they disagree with to change the stance of the government. I've mentioned it before, which you previously said you understood, for we do the same in supporting those who would allow for the spread of the Gospel while moving away from those who do not.
I think you are confusing persuasion, or of giving people a choice, with forcing compliance, when you present your opposition to something, or ask others to change, that is not forcing them to accept your point of view, or do you consider that Christ ,after expounding his teaching, used force to make us comply with following him, or do you think he gave us the choice
Ultimately it is God's Will to be done, but there is leeway for the direction we move in when it is according to His Word, without being contrary to it. Still, as I've said before, and will always continue to say, it must be the entirety of His Word and not taking a piece here or there in order to make a separate doctrine of belief to follow. For doing one part will not conflict with the other part of scripture. If done rightly it can't but follow what is best for us to His Will in Christ Jesus.


I completely agree. Yet it is in understanding that the change we seek to happen in others to bring them to this understanding is by the act of the Holy Spirit, as it has been in us. Which goes hand in hand with the presentation of the Gospel, for it is through Him first that the changes happen in our life, and the lives of those who yet do not know Him. Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not blind to the appearances of righteousness, and that God will use the ungodly to have His will done, but it is not our business to determine the how it is done, though we might be the vessel by which it is done.






Ah, again it does not have to be your intention, but when you are dealing with the unbeliever, that is what happens. It is exactly as you say in mentioning the above scripture in Matthew.
I suppose it partly comes down to your definition of "unbeliever", I have met more "Christ like" people who have no belief than i have "Christians " who express belief but seem to have little Love or Compassion in them.
Oh, no, no, no! Let me stop you there. You create your own argument to make a claim to debate on. lol However, I will play along for the moment.

I’m sure you agree that all authority is given by God, so are you suggesting that the authority He grants isn’t good, or that the outcome changes when humans put it into practice? :) I state this, because yu are really conflating two different things here brother. When the Nation rejected Jesus, did it mean that every person did also? Think long and hard on this, because that is what you are saying here.
We have a different view as to what constitutes "Gods Authority", yes all ultimate Authority is granted by God, but that Authority has been delegated for the time being to the Devil, as in Luke 4 vs 5-7, for how else could mans inherent sinfulness be given free reign to commit the horrendous atrocities he does and bring this world ever closer to Armageddon. No, when the people turned against Jesus , at the instigation of their leaders, some didnt, but does that in itself make them "good", no it doesnt, for we are ALL sinners, and however "good" or otherwise the supposed intention of a Government is, it will always become corrupt , for that is the nature of humanity, and Governments are just collections of people, nothing more, nothing less.
USA was established as a Nation based on trying to implement Godly laws to govern, a Godly people. Like John Adams (2nd President of the US) said: "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. Is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." No other country can say this! Except maybe Israel.
The USA was, like all nations, founded on violence, greed, theft and corruption, forget the words for they are cheap and easy to utter, look at the actions, as for a "Godly people", well i've yet to see an example of that, but then i suppose it all depends on what you mean by a Godly people", i'd be interested to know your definition of that Brother, would a "Godly people", land as illegal immigrants, steal through Conquest and Genocide the land inhabited by others and then put the indigenous inhabitants into "Reservations", is not the US a prime example of the very "Lawless and unGodly "behaviour you condmen in others today ? And i know nothing of the Israeli Constitution so cant comment on that, But i do know a little of their actions since the formation of the Israeli state in 1948, a state born from Bloodshed, theft and mass deportations, and whose latest actions in Gaza continue this horrific tradition. IMO hardly an example of "a moral and religious people", but that again is open to definition.
At the moment in time, it was a statement that would be hard to argue with. However, when Jesus died on the Cross and He ascended afterwards to the Throne, did the devil continue to rule or should we say the same sway he did before? (Matt 28:18; John 12:31; Heb 2:14)
The way i see it those verses confirm Christs ultimate power over the Earth and ultimate vanquishing of the Devil and Death. This power will be fulfilled on the Day of Judgement, but until then, the Devil holds sway in this world, whether to a lesser or greater extent, well looking around, i see little evidence of his power being diminished.
From here we continue to go in a circle. You think that it is righteous to not follow the laws that conflict with scripture. So, the ensuing results of though creating harm, and even death are acceptable and not be laid at your feet. I do not. Remember as a point, that slavery existed and continue to exist for many years afterwards, and still exists to this day. Scripture told both to work within it, and to treat each other as brethren even while not speaking about ending it. Yet, for the sake of righteousness existed then so why was it not actively resisted and worked against by the believers? I guess according to your standard they were wrong in not doing so!
Before i answer this point, you never answered my question about Anne Frank, the ones that hid Anne Frank and tried to keep her safe from persecution disobeyed the law, the one that informed on her whereabouts, and thus led to her being murdered, was following the law, what would you have done?.
However, again with all that being said from your part & mine, what does that have to do with illegal immigration? Work to get the laws changed, but you do not do that by breaking the laws in place. Doing so spreads chaos and leads only to unrighteous behavior, which you can’t justify, no matter how much you twist scripture from its true purpose.
Just because something is legal does not make it right, or righteous, and campaigning against unjust laws does not make you unrighteous, in fact the opposite, we have a duty as Christians to hunger and thirst after Righteousness, to love others as we love ourselves and to treat others as we'd want to be treated, and if we are persecuted for doing that then we indeed blessed. Evil comes in many forms, and an adherence to and complicity with laws that conflict with Gods commandments are an example of that Evil.
Yes they are just men but duly sworn to uphold the law of the land. While you side and promote the ungodly, lawless people, who have chosen to do whatever they can get away with their behavior regardless of what the law says. Trying to correlate this to Nazi Germany or any other regime is wrong. The people coming into the US illegally could have done it another way. They had other options and places to go, but instead they did it the wrong way, and are paying the consequences for their actions, and because you justify them doing it, the blame becomes also yours for any resulting suffering/death. Don't think you are excused because you are not in favor of the violence that has happened. If you didn’t see that ungodly people could lead to this kind of behavior, then that oversight is on you. The same scripture you use to justify your actions also talks about the depravity of man and their behavior.
I would say you have to break this faith you have in Authority and those that wield it. Many of the most Evil regimes in history have been regimes that based their Evil on Laws. Laws that enabled persecution, abuse and ultimately murder. And these actions were all carried out by men "duly sworn to uphold the laws of the land". Brother Nick, i do not doubt your sincerity or your compassion, but your trust is misplaced and is being abused. To focus on the US for the moment, you have seen the violence of these duly sworn officers, you have seen citizens shot in the head, you have seen women pulled screaming from cars, you have seen people incarcerated in Concentration Camps where the conditions and abuse are appalling, you have heard the rhetoric of theyre all lawless criminals, in fact you yourself have called them "Godless" without knowing anything about their circumstances. If you cant see the correlations between whats happening now in the US and Nazi Germany in the early years then you need to check your history books,....... and Where is Christ in all of this Violence and hatred, do you see him in the face of the stranger, either legal or illegal, or does Christ only call on us to show his love and compassion to the legal stranger?,........ and as you've said to me, complicity is guilt, if you support whats going on now in the US, if you support the actions of ICE and Border Control, then you are complicit in their crimes, and when Christ says to you "I was a stranger and you didnt take me in", what are you going to say in return, "But lord, you were an illegal", think long and hard on this because its not me you will have to answer to, but Christ himself.
You know little about me brother. My parents were immigrants, and I'm 1st generation American. I remember waiting with my dad in food lines, swallowing his pride so his family could have food, while living in a roach/rat infested building across from condemned buildings along the docks of the Hudson River (slums). I'm sure others had it even worse than I did, and I know throughout the world there are those even worse off. I've seen it. I don't have to live it to know. However, I also don't have live it to know that when you knowingly break the law, no matter the reason, you will suffer consequences for doing so. You would absolve them from it, but it is not your place to do so; Christian or not.
Thats true, and if i came across as condescending , i apologise, but what i would have hoped, is that having gone through that experience yourself, you'd be even more compassionate to those enduring it now, and if that means breaking the law, of suffering for righteousness sake, then that is the price that Christ asks of us when he says, "Deny yourself, take up your Cross and follow me", a life of self denial and sacrifice in the name of Love.

With the Love of Christ Jesus Brother Nick

Steve
With the Love of Christ Jesus, brother.
YBIC/Moderator
Nick
\o/
<><
 
I believe rad got enabling n Love confused n that's a very dangerous person to have around ya especially if one has an addiction..I've seen many die with the enablers help

Idk I'm j.s.

Hope all's well

ʘ⁠‿⁠ʘ
 
I think you are confusing persuasion, or of giving people a choice, with forcing compliance, when you present your opposition to something, or ask others to change, that is not forcing them to accept your point of view, or do you consider that Christ ,after expounding his teaching, used force to make us comply with following him, or do you think he gave us the choice

I suppose it partly comes down to your definition of "unbeliever", I have met more "Christ like" people who have no belief than i have "Christians " who express belief but seem to have little Love or Compassion in them.

We have a different view as to what constitutes "Gods Authority", yes all ultimate Authority is granted by God, but that Authority has been delegated for the time being to the Devil, as in Luke 4 vs 5-7, for how else could mans inherent sinfulness be given free reign to commit the horrendous atrocities he does and bring this world ever closer to Armageddon. No, when the people turned against Jesus , at the instigation of their leaders, some didnt, but does that in itself make them "good", no it doesnt, for we are ALL sinners, and however "good" or otherwise the supposed intention of a Government is, it will always become corrupt , for that is the nature of humanity, and Governments are just collections of people, nothing more, nothing less.

The USA was, like all nations, founded on violence, greed, theft and corruption, forget the words for they are cheap and easy to utter, look at the actions, as for a "Godly people", well i've yet to see an example of that, but then i suppose it all depends on what you mean by a Godly people", i'd be interested to know your definition of that Brother, would a "Godly people", land as illegal immigrants, steal through Conquest and Genocide the land inhabited by others and then put the indigenous inhabitants into "Reservations", is not the US a prime example of the very "Lawless and unGodly "behaviour you condmen in others today ? And i know nothing of the Israeli Constitution so cant comment on that, But i do know a little of their actions since the formation of the Israeli state in 1948, a state born from Bloodshed, theft and mass deportations, and whose latest actions in Gaza continue this horrific tradition. IMO hardly an example of "a moral and religious people", but that again is open to definition.

The way i see it those verses confirm Christs ultimate power over the Earth and ultimate vanquishing of the Devil and Death. This power will be fulfilled on the Day of Judgement, but until then, the Devil holds sway in this world, whether to a lesser or greater extent, well looking around, i see little evidence of his power being diminished.

Before i answer this point, you never answered my question about Anne Frank, the ones that hid Anne Frank and tried to keep her safe from persecution disobeyed the law, the one that informed on her whereabouts, and thus led to her being murdered, was following the law, what would you have done?.

Just because something is legal does not make it right, or righteous, and campaigning against unjust laws does not make you unrighteous, in fact the opposite, we have a duty as Christians to hunger and thirst after Righteousness, to love others as we love ourselves and to treat others as we'd want to be treated, and if we are persecuted for doing that then we indeed blessed. Evil comes in many forms, and an adherence to and complicity with laws that conflict with Gods commandments are an example of that Evil.

I would say you have to break this faith you have in Authority and those that wield it. Many of the most Evil regimes in history have been regimes that based their Evil on Laws. Laws that enabled persecution, abuse and ultimately murder. And these actions were all carried out by men "duly sworn to uphold the laws of the land". Brother Nick, i do not doubt your sincerity or your compassion, but your trust is misplaced and is being abused. To focus on the US for the moment, you have seen the violence of these duly sworn officers, you have seen citizens shot in the head, you have seen women pulled screaming from cars, you have seen people incarcerated in Concentration Camps where the conditions and abuse are appalling, you have heard the rhetoric of theyre all lawless criminals, in fact you yourself have called them "Godless" without knowing anything about their circumstances. If you cant see the correlations between whats happening now in the US and Nazi Germany in the early years then you need to check your history books,....... and Where is Christ in all of this Violence and hatred, do you see him in the face of the stranger, either legal or illegal, or does Christ only call on us to show his love and compassion to the legal stranger?,........ and as you've said to me, complicity is guilt, if you support whats going on now in the US, if you support the actions of ICE and Border Control, then you are complicit in their crimes, and when Christ says to you "I was a stranger and you didnt take me in", what are you going to say in return, "But lord, you were an illegal", think long and hard on this because its not me you will have to answer to, but Christ himself.

Thats true, and if i came across as condescending , i apologise, but what i would have hoped, is that having gone through that experience yourself, you'd be even more compassionate to those enduring it now, and if that means breaking the law, of suffering for righteousness sake, then that is the price that Christ asks of us when he says, "Deny yourself, take up your Cross and follow me", a life of self denial and sacrifice in the name of Love.

With the Love of Christ Jesus Brother Nick

Steve
Dear Brother Steve,
I found this and thought it would be enlightening to understand some of our discussions, in trying to separate a believer's responsibility, and a government. For they are two different things and not one and the same and would seem to conflict, until you understand that they are different roles accorded to each by God. Oddly, it took a politician, who is the Speaker of the House in the US (now), who wrote this and is also a believer in Christ Jesus as his savior. I know it's a long read, but it is worth the read. I pray that God will continue to watch, keep, and guide this man and his family.

How he is able to maintain his composure, at least publicly, is amazing, and to deal/interact with faithless, lying folks on a daily basis is beyond me, but he does. It's probably why they age so quickly. Anyway, this is something he wrote, and his name is Mike Johnson. I bolded what I believe is the most important part to consider, aside from the scripture verses referenced, so you can pay special attention to it and think about the implications in what we’ve been discussing.

Note: As you will find he wrote this when Biden was President, and not Trump. He has access to such information that we do not see as a whole. Having worked in the military communications with classified information/SCIF's, I know that there is so much more out there to the specifics of what is actually transpiring when it comes to national security that judging the totality of it all to come to a certain conclusion will more than likely have us in the wrong when we do not have all the information available to us.

Speaker of the House Johnson – Christian

Despite the insistence of the progressive Left, people of all religious faiths should support a strong national border—and Christians CERTAINLY should. Critics are fond of citing particular Bible verses out of context to claim that Christians and Jews are being “unfaithful” if we oppose their radical open borders agenda. It has become increasingly important for us to set this record straight.

Perhaps the verse most often cited by the Left is Leviticus 19:34. Whether they know it or not, that passage happens to be from the instructions Moses delivered to the Israelites when they were on their journey through the wilderness in Sinai, before they reached their own Promised Land. The verse reads as follows: “But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” (KJV)

CONTEXT IS CRITICAL It is, of course, a central premise of Judeo-Christian teaching that strangers should be treated with kindness and hospitality. We are each called to love God first and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Deut. 6:5, Lev. 19:18, Matt. 22:36-40, KJV). However, that “Greatest Commandment” was never directed to the government, but to INDIVIDUAL believers.

The Bible teaches that God ordained and created four distinct spheres of authority— (1) the individual, (2) the family, (3) the church, and (4) civil government—and each of these spheres is given different responsibilities.

For example, while each INDIVIDUAL is accountable for his or her own behavior (e.g., Exodus 20), the FAMILY is commanded to “bring up children in the training and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4) and “provide for their relatives” (1 Tim. 5:8).

The CHURCH is commanded to make disciples and equip people for the work of the ministry (Eph. 4:11-13), and the CIVIL GOVERNMENT is established to faithfully uphold and enforce the law so that order can be maintained in this fallen world, crime can be kept at bay, and people can live peacefully (Rom. 13, 1 Tim. 2:1-2).

To be properly understood, anytime a command is given in Scripture, one must first determine to WHOM that command is directed. For example, when Jesus taught us as His followers to practice mercy and forgiveness and to “turn the other cheek” (Matt. 5:38-40, KJV), He was not giving that command to the government. To the contrary, when government officials ignore crime, they are directly VIOLATING their responsibilities before God. Indeed, the civil authorities are specifically charged to do justice, to ”bear the sword,” and to serve as “the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil” (Rom. 13:1-4, KJV). As the Bible warns: “When a crime is not punished quickly, people feel it is safe to do wrong.” (Ecc. 8:11, TLB)

Read in its context, the passage in Leviticus 19 makes perfect sense. Showing love and kindness to a stranger was not a command given to civil government, but instead to individual believers. That same principle is emphasized in the New Testament. When Jesus spoke of embracing, caring, and providing for “the least of these” (E.g., Matt. 25:31-40), His instruction was given to His disciples, and not the local authorities. The Bible is clear that Christians should practice personal charity—but also insist upon the enforcement of laws (like our federal immigration statutes) so that “every person is subject to the governing authorities” and “those who resist incur judgment” (Rom. 13:1-2).

BORDERS ARE BIBLICAL Many on the Left today, and even some at the highest levels of our government, consider themselves “globalists” who envision a utopian world order where there are no borders between countries at all. Their fantasy will simply never be realized, and their basic premise (that man is inherently good and perfectible on his own) is the opposite of the Biblical truth that man is fallen and in need of redemption that is available only through salvation in Jesus Christ.

The Bible speaks favorably and consistently about distinct nations of people (see, e.g., Gen. 18:18, Num. 32:17, Psalm 67:2, Matt. 28:19, Rev. 5:9, 7:9, NIV), and about borders and walls that are built to guard and secure people, property, and jurisdictions (see, e.g., Deut. 19:14, 27:17, 32:8, Acts 17:26, NIV). When Nehemiah heroically led the Jewish remnant to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem after their enemies had destroyed those walls, he was doing the noble work of God (Neh. 1-6, NIV).

Maintaining a secure border is not an offensive measure, but a wise, defensive one to prevent chaos and safeguard innocent life. As Rev. Franklin Graham once summarized, “Why do you lock your doors at night? Not because you hate the people on the outside, but because you love the people on the inside so much.”

THE CURRENT CATASTROPHE Right now, because of 64 deliberate policy choices and executive orders of the Biden Administration, America is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and national security catastrophe at our open southern border. More than 10 million illegal aliens from around the world have entered the U.S. since Joe Biden became President, the majority of whom are single, military-aged men. Among them are countless violent criminals and more than 300 suspects on the terrorist watchlist.

Cartels are making billions trafficking young women and unaccompanied minors, and many are suffering unspeakable abuses along the way. The Fentanyl that China and the cartels have pushed into the U.S. has become the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-45. As the peril increases and communities across our country become more and more overwhelmed with the crushing financial burdens of managing the influx of illegals, American citizens (and even a few Democratic governors and mayors) are finally demanding a return to sanity.

America has always been a haven for people legitimately seeking asylum from danger in their home country, but we must insist they pursue a course of legal immigration and not simply ignore our laws. Of course, the President of the United States must be the first to uphold our laws. Every citizen should insist that President Biden immediately use the eight broad statutory authorities he has right now to secure our borders and stop incentivizing illegal immigration. Among his most important executive authorities is 8 U.S.C. 1182(f), which empowers a President to “suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate” if he “finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States.”

AN AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN RESPONSE Due in large part to our Judeo-Christian foundations and the deep religious heritage we enjoy in this country, America is the most benevolent nation in the world—by far. However, we cannot maintain that strength and generosity if we surrender our own safety and sovereignty. Preserving law and order and securing our borders should not be partisan issues, but matters of common sense. These are certainly responsibilities fully authorized by the Bible—and expected of us by God. Any time liberals attempt to bolster their “open borders” agenda by citing Scripture out of context, they should be kindly corrected with the facts (2 Tim. 2:24-25).

Christians are called to love unconditionally, serve selflessly, and defend the defenseless. We are also called to stand for, and work to ensure, just government. Justice and mercy are not mutually exclusive pursuits. To the contrary, God specifically requires His people to practice both (Micah 6:8). Despite the unfounded claims of the Left, supporting a strong national border is a very Christian thing to do. The Bible tells us so.
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With the Love of Christ Jesus Brother.
YBIC/Moderator
Nick
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Because when you take from others who have worked for it, to give to others who have not. That's what you have.
You think that the US is not helping, or not helping to the extent that you think they should be? I'm sure it's the latter part.
You want to talk about inequities of the different systems. Well, go for it. Tell me the perfect system and how you can make it happen, and I'll listen brother Steve. Until, then don't be talking about what one has, and what another does not, when the eternal soul is being neglected.
Many thanks for your reply to my previous post Brother Nick, before i fully read and think about what youve said let me just reply to these other points you raised.

I try not to appoint man made labels, Socialism, Capitalism, Liberal, Conservative, to my actions and thoughts, i am first and foremost a Christian and try to approach each situation from the teachings of Christ. For me its simple, if someone is in need and you can help then you do so, you try to put yourself in that persons place and ask yourself "If i was them what would i want", its usually pretty simple to do, the hard part is enacting what you know you should do, for we are all selfish to a lesser or greater extent and what we know we should do and what we actually do are often far apart....... the US is helping, the same as most rich countries help, but that help is so pitiful, being just a fraction of 1% of their GDP, when 20,000 children die every day from Malnutrition and Disease and over 1 billion people live on less than a few $'s a day how can anyone that calls themselves a Christian defend such an evil situation, would we feel the same if it was our children or someone we love dying slowly in front of us while theres such wealth in the world, its a question of priorities, whats more important to us, and more importantly, whats more important to God , the wealth and comfort of the rich or the sufferings and death of the poor?...... and there never will be a perfect system, not in this world anyway, for we are all sinners living in an evil world, the best any of us can do is to try to make a difference, to try to give more, to change the systems of Injustice and oppression that create all of this suffering, to show Gods Justice and compassion in the good works we do and live in the hope that the day will soon come when all of this pain, suffering and destruction will be swept away and a New world based on Gods Love will be created.
No, the enemy is Satan and sin. If you haven't figured that out by now, then you will continue to fight the wrong battles.
Yes i agree, the enemy is Satan and Sin, the sin that expresses itself in Greed, selfishness, envy ,hate and lust, its an enemy that we must fight both in ourselves and in the world, and the way we fight both is not through anger and self righteousness, but seeking Gods Righteousness, his will, his will for Justice, his will for Mercy and his will for Humility.
2 Thess 3:10 speaks to an orderly method of helping. What you are suggesting is anything but that! There is a system in place that will help, but you don't agree with it, and so trash it, and create more chaos/harm by doing so.
But the "system" isnt helping brother Nick, despite the massive wealth in this world, we still have close to 1 billion men, women and children living on a few $'s a day, still have 800 million people without access to clean water, still have thousands of children dying needlessly every day from hunger and disease, the "system" is designed by the rich, its run by the rich and in the main it benefits the rich, it is an evil system through and through, and on top of all the injustice and suffering the system we have is destroying Gods creation, through our insatiable greed we are destroying life on this planet, and you talk of "chaos/harm", look around you brother Nick and see the reality of what youre defending, does it really look like a world God approves of, Christ calls on us to give our all for those in need, not defend the very "system" thats oppressing them.
I would say it is the methodology that you would allow for that I have a problem with. Our God is not a God of chaos but of order. Even when the order is not the way you would do it, it should still be followed until a better one is put in place. That is where we disagree.
Yes this is an"order", but its an order thats opposed to all that Christ taught, an order thats based on greed and self interest, and if youre waiting for a better one to be put in place, well thats not going to happen, not in this world anyway, we have to deal with reality, to understand ,that given all of our frailties, Christ expects us to do all we can to alleviate the suffering and pain of this evil world we've created.

With the Love of Christ Jesus Brother Nick

Steve
With the Love of Christ Jesus.
YBIC/Moderator
Nick
\o/
<><
 
May Jesus fill us with his love and wisdom

Just out of curiosity, Jesus referred to the Centurion as someone with the greatest Faith he had ever seen. And yet the Centurion was asking him to heal his servant.

Did Jesus healing his servant, And Making his servant spend more time serving this Centurion, does this mean that Jesus accepts people to be slaves to others?
No i dont believe that anyone can call themselves a Christian and own slaves, you cannot love your neighbour as yourself and treat others as you'd want to be treated and then own another human being, created in Gods likeness, as you would own a piece of property, depriving them of their God given rights and dignity. Tbh i dont know the answer to your question, was the "Faith" that Christ described the faith to heal, or was the faith he described being the belief in Christ as the Son of God. If the latter, did the Centurion then go back to his healed slave and recognise the incompatability of owning slaves with Christs teaching and free his slave, was the seed planted by Christs healing of his servant and then fulfilled through his actions of freeing his former slave?. Theres so much i dont know, the important thing is to have the humility to accept that and listen to what others say because they may have the answer youre looking for. So what do you think?
 
Well then you have clearly changed your mind. Originally you spouted nonsense about sin not having degrees. Teaching that racist thoughts were the same as torture and murder. Nice to hear you have come to your senses.
Hmmmm, that has always been my opinion, as is the belief that we will all be judged for our thoughts, words and deeds, what we do and what we dont do, and that some words and thoughts are as guilty of condemnation as the act themselves,......... and from the point of view of judgement, i find it hard to believe that anyone with hate for another in their hearts, and those that support them, be it racism, homophobia or xenophobia will not be condemned by Christ, but thats not my call, thats Gods and i leave that to him,.... but if you want to claim that as my "having come to my senses" thats fine with me.
 
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I don't think you understand what an important job we have in both A. Spreading the truth and B. doing so in fear and trembling of God. Phil 2:12

I accused you of spreading lies and having no fear of God. I gave you many scriptures to make my case, it was not my opinion. Think on that. You are the one here typing essay long posts with no scripture but only feel good opinion. Christians are to judge Christians 1 Pet 4:17. We are to keep each other on the straight and narrow. There are no snowflakes in Christianity. If you think we have a responsibility to be snowflakes, you need to change religion.

Teaching that sin is sin, that we must accommodate mortal sinners and pass equal blame of evil intent on venial sinners is false teaching.

It is a line that can stumble every single weak and young Christian.
And i dont think you understand the role of "humility" in our Christian journey, the possibility that you might just be wrong, for your posts reek of certainty and condemnation of anyone that doesnt agree with you, and as for "Christians judging other Christians", well i guess we all have different views of what constitutes being a Christian, and your view of me as a "snowflake" ,well i guess i'd rather be a snowflake than a seemingly hard hearted, intolerant individual enfused with their own self righteousness. i well remember you saying in the discussion on charlie Kirk, "The shooter of Charlie Kirk should be executed", i asked you if the same fate should be meted out to the killer of the 2 democrat congress people killed a few months before, to which you replied, "No i would have to look at the case first,....... as democrats are evil", anyone with such a twisted view of Justice and Compassion is IMO as far from Christs teachings of Love and compassion as they can be, on all fronts......... but thats just my opinion, and being a "snowflake" will be dismissed as irrelevant, i often think that if Christ came back to the Earth today teaching his message of Love, Compassion, Justice and mercy for those suffering and in need then he would be dismissed by many as a snowflake, a" woke, lefty, bleeding heart Liberal".
 
Hmmmm, that has always been my opinion, as is the belief that we will all be judged for our thoughts, words and deeds, what we do and what we dont do, and that some words and thoughts are as guilty of condemnation as the act themselves,......... and from the point of view of judgement, i find it hard to believe that anyone with hate for another in their hearts, and those that support them, be it racism, homophobia or xenophobia will not be condemned by Christ, but thats not my call, thats Gods and i leave that to him,.... but if you want to claim that as my "having come to my senses" thats fine with me.

Both you and God should both agree that thoughts are mostly 0.005 / 10 and acting on 'murderous' thoughts for example would be a 9-10 / 10.

1 Cor 2:15 The spiritual man judges all things.

1 Cor 6:3 Don't you know that we will judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!".


Now the reason I continuously harp and harp on degrees of sin is because of these three scriptures 1 Cor 11:31, Rom 7:15 and Phil 2:12.

1 Cor 11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.

Rom 7:15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

Phil 2:12 continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.


We tick all three by getting on our knees every evening and examining all our sins committed for the day and forgiving all who sinned against us so that we may be forgiven. Examining ourselves for sin goes like this....what sin did I commit? What was the evil intent behind it? How much did I hurt someone?

Thoughts are one sin we will all battle with on a daily basis. You cannot beat yourself or others up merely because of them. It is actioning thoughts that results in others being hurt.

Degrees of sin, discerning between venial and mortal, is one of the most important things we need to consider on a daily basis.

Any person blurring the lines
between venial and mortal sin is stumbling both themselves and others. This is what you are guilty of. Your posts read like this: '''I cannot judge the difference between mortal and venial, only God can''. I accuse you of intellectual dishonesty and false teaching. You can solve this dilemma you have simply by asking the person sitting near you to A. think of thrown their coffee cup at you and then B. actually throw it.

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I suspect you are a homosexual. Sexual sin is an interesting type of sin. We don't judge ourselves too harshly for it as we are able to do it without seeing anyone hurt. This is sound thinking as all sin 'is sin' because it hurts someone. In the case of sexual sin, you are hurting God and yourself. And at such a high degree that God ordained a graphic and violent death for many types of it in the OT. Homosexuality, beastiality, adultery Lev 20:10-16.

1 Cor 6:18-20 Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but whoever sins sexually sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Prov 6:32 But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.

Eph 4:30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.


Sexual sin grieves the Holy Spirit. You will not make it to heaven. On a daily basis you are pulling your middle finger to your Creator God.
 
And i dont think you understand the role of "humility" in our Christian journey, the possibility that you might just be wrong,

Humility has its place as does contending for the truth.

What you are actually asking of me is to just leave you all alone as you drown in your sin.

I use to battle with sexual sin. I use to tell God that I like it so much and that if doing it gets me into hell, well then He made me for hell and He is evil. Who should care about serving an evil God. I would rather be a martyr for people like me.

Then God worked on me. Showed me why He hates the sin. How it is not His will for my life. He helped me to see that sin for what it is. A gross perversion that shows nothing but complete disdain for your Creator.
 
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