May Jesus fill us with his love and wisdom
May Jesus fill us with his love and wisdom
Dear Brother Bill,
After all they are the foremost political manipulators of all time! Setting the hounds (Jesuits) on the rest of us, in order to bring us to heel! hehehe Perhaps i should have framed that question better, whose side do you think Christ is on?, do you think hes on the side of those fleeing poverty, persecution and violence, be they legal or illegal immigrants to the US, or do you see Christ on the side of those masked and armed ICE agents violently trying to detain and deport them back to their countries of origin, ,........and while it is true that there is poverty and deprivation here in the Uk, and i dare say in the US as well, the levels of poverty are just not comparable to those in 3rd world countries,, the poverty is relative poverty in the main, poverty compared to the average living conditions of the country concerned, practically everyone that considers themselves "poor" here in the UK would be considered "comfortable" by the level of poverty in many 3rd world countries where to have running water, basic sanitation, education and health provision are out of the reach of hundreds of millions, and you miss one important aspect, that is hope, many that flee their own country do so out of a hopelessness that if they stayed things just wouldnt get any better, whether its poverty, violence or persecution, why else would they risk their lives and leave everything and everyone theyve ever known to travel thousands of miles to a country that in many cases treats them as barely human, a problem to be resolved by whatever means. ......... but all of this debate and speculation about what might or might not happen misses the central point, which is , What as Christians, followers of Christ, should be our response to this horrendous situation"?, for me its simple, i look at any situation and think, If i was there, what would i do, what would i want, how would i act, so let me ask you, If you lived in a drug ridden area of Mexico, with Gangs threatening your life, with grinding poverty and little or no hope for the future for yourself and your children, and someone offered you the chance of a better life in the US, albeit illegally, would you take that chance, or would you resign yourself and your family to a life of fear and deprivation?.
I'm sorry if you think i'm ignoring your posts, i'm not, its just that when youre having a conversation with 3 or 4 other people who are making multiple replies to your posts its hard to reply to them all given i only have a limited time to do so, and its also so easy to miss replies to my post and catch up on what everyones said. So firstly to put the record straight, i dont mind that you believe you" have conversations with God", thats fine, i still disagree with a lot of what you say so you'll have to draw whatever implications you want from that, and secondly, no i'm not ANTIFA, here in the UK i dont believe we even have ANTIFA, although i am Anti Fascist and anti racist, and definitely left of centre in my political views, i'm against violence but am all for peaceful direct action, so perhaps in a way i'm ANTIFA without even knowing it. Ah, these labels we stick on each other, never fails to amuse me, i see myself as a Christian, believing in and trying to follow the teachings of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, but if you want to label me as ANTIFA, well thats OK with me......... why does it matter who has caused the problems in this world?, surely our role as Christians is to help when and where we can regardless of who is to blame, but i would just add, with Climate Change becoming an increasing cause of global suffering, and the uS and all Rich nations being the principle cause of Greenhouse gas emissions. and that during the so called "cold war", when East and West fought their wars for control and influence in many 3rd world countries, and that International Trade and finance has been used by the richer nations to control and exploit poorer ones through organisations like the WTO, the IMF and the World Bank, then our hands, all of us who profit from this evil system, are in no way "clean", for they are stained with the blood of the hundreds of millions that have died to maintain our lives of wealth and comfort,......and i well remember Live Aid in 1984, i remember the first time i saw the pictures of the starving people, the skeletal children, the piles of bodies, 23rd October1984, a Wednesday i think, it was on the TV, the BBC News, about 6pm as we were having dinner, yep its a scene that has never left me, and apart from giving, i wanted to know why, why in a world of such plenty were people starving, it took me the best part of 20 years to fully understand that reason why, it nearly broke me and if it wasnt for my faith i reckon i'd have departed this life a long time ago, but anyway, i'm still here, just, but you raise the problem of corruption and its a valid point, of course theres corruption, wherever you get people theres corruption, if youre looking for perfection then youre never gonna find it, but let me ask you this, say that 50% of the money you gave was lost through corruption and you gave $50, so $25 would still get through to those that are in such desperate need, in your opinion, is it worth giving that $50?, actually the levels of corruption are markedly lower now, but even if only half got through would you still give?, if i was on the other end, if i was the one in need, if my children were starving, would i consider your contribution worthless because half had been lost to corruption, i dont think i would and i dont think you would either, so give, give in the best possible way you can, check out the organisation, and know that some is going to be lost, but try to look at it from those that are suffering and not from the comfort of your armchair,.........and in many cases money is the issue, in many places where theres starvation there is food to buy, but its too expensive, when a harvest fails in a rich country we just buy our food on the world market, when a poor farmer in Ethiopia loses his crop through drought or flood he starves, food aid in many cases is the only thing that stands between him, his family and starving to death, so dont decry money, Love of money may be the root of all evil, but lack of money can be a source of great suffering and death,........ and of course we need to invest in development, to build up infrastructure, be it education, healthcare, roads, industry, jobs, better techniques of food production, and for most Aid agencies the development aspect of their work takes up most of their budget, but when drought strikes, when wars destroy, when floods cover the land, then what is needed is immediate and constructive emergency Aid,....... i really think you need to educate yourself about the realities of living in some of these poor countries that you so seem to so easily dismiss as lazy and looking for a free ride, i have seen a man ploughing a "field" of dust where there were more stones than earth, i have seen women walking miles for a pot of dirty water, i have seen people living in "houses" we wouldnt even house animals in, rat infested with open latrines and who have to endure back breaking labour for a couple of $'s a day, i have seen women slaving 12 hours a day in sweatshops and children having to sell themselves just so they can eat or who are forced to work in mines and Cocoa plantations as slave labour so we can enjoy our cheap clothes, chocolate and Electronic products. How i wish i could take you and your family to live in these places for a year and then see if you still think the same, or if then you truly understand what it means to "Love your neighbour as yourself and treat others as you'd want to be treated".
Both sides brother! I find it interesting how you phrase the question and identifying both sides! lol One to you is fleeing poverty, persecution and violence, while the other are masked and armed ICE agents violently....How about I rephrase it to say "One is criminal offenders trying to get to an easy life, while the others are law abiding citizens trying to peacefully do a job by asked of them by their government.".
Then why are so many first not even from Mexico, and criminals at that? Anyway, I've answered this before. Better the country you live in even if it costs you your life in Christ Jesus! After all that is the cost, isn't it? We give our all!
May Jesus fill us with his love and wisdomI don't think I have. I would expect much lower IQ and even more cringeworthy statements from Antifa members.
Yes yes yes.Dear Brother Bill,
I think it might be the Catholicism you represent.
No, I don't see him as antifa. To hear the name of the Lord coming from one of their lips in other then a curse would be a surprise. Brother Rad is not of that ilk. I do see however, that he might subscribe to a theology, called dominionism, that tries to put circles into square pegs for the world to fit in. Eschatology paints a different picture of what is to happen but is of little regard to many. There are some also who are Red Letter only as being acceptable to be followed are similarly minded. The list of almost got it but not quite is long and varied.
He genuinely believes in what he thinks should happen and that it must be acted on, but sincerity doesn’t always mean it reflects the full truth found in all of Scripture, rather than just selected parts to follow.
Trying to fix the world's problems is not the business we as believers are to be about. Increasing the Kingdom of God is. However, if we can help in certain areas, that we are also called to help in, we do so, but not at the cost of the Gospel being spread.
I blame Catholics for much of this Brother Bill! lol (I[m picturing the look on your face after reading that.)
Don't worry I don't believe you are part of the ills of the world brother any more than anyone else is. Sin still sways in humanity, and until we are totally cleansed through and in Christ Jesus in us, it won't be changing anytime soon.
With the Love of Christ Jesus, blessing to you.
YBIC/Moderator
Nick
\o/
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The angels weren't listening brother (thankfully) because we didn't even get a foot (6 inches) where I'm at, but 1/4 inch of ice on top of that was enough to set me tumbling a couple of times! Trying to help others at times, comes with a cost.
Its like being in "Groundhog Day", going through the same routine day after day, Look at Matthew 28 in the context of what Christ said in Matthew 27, then look on Matthew 22 in the context of what Christ said in Matthew 21, in each case Christ emphasised that you dont have to commit the action to be guilty of the sin, thought or word are just as bad, a lustful, hate filled racist who never actually commits the act of adultery or acts on their racist hatred will still be condemned as much as the perpetrator of such acts, please try to understand this because it is quite important....... as to your questions, we are ALL guilty of sin, in thought, and word and deed, if we do not recognise and repent of our sin and try to change our ways, then i believe yes, the person thats thinking of sleeping with his fathers wife is as guilty as the one actually doing it, as for the candy store theft, thats a serious matter, i would definitely isolate someone, whatever their age, for such a heinous crime!!
Hmmm, seems to me your grasp of History is as shaky as your grasp of theology,.... Youre right in the fact that not all Nazis were SS, it was, at the start at least, a very elite organisation comprised of racially pure and ideologically correct members of the Nazi Party, ALL members of the SS were members of the Nazi Party, it was a basic requirement, as was racial purity and a fanatical allegiance to Hitler and all he stood for,........ as for the "Final Solution" , it was implemented by leading Nazis, but like the T4 programme that preceded it, the killing of the Physically and Mentally disabled, once started, was driven as much by those implementing the killing as those ordering from the top, it was a joint effort, and it wasnt just implemented by the SS, the T4 programme was implemented by doctors and undertaken in Sanatoriums across Germany by the medical staff there, the mass shootings by the Einsatzgruppen were undertaken in the main by police and auxillary police units, the SS were predominant in the Death Camps, but even there personnel from other branches were present. When Germany invaded Russia in june 1941 the Einsatzgruppen went with them, their job was to secure the rear and eliminate anyone thought to be a threat to Nazi rule, which included male jews working for the Communists, this quickly expanded to shooting ALL male jews and then ALL jews regardless of age or sex. There was no order on high for this but requests from Einsatzgruppen and Army leaders in the field. The order for the first gassings at Auschwitz of Russian prisoners of war was not given by the leadership in Berlin but was an initiative by the assistant Commander. ..... as evidenced all over the world, evil feeds on itself becoming ever more powerful and destructive, which is why Christ condemned it in ALL its forms, in thought, in word and in deed.
Christ always identified with the suffering and oppressed and against the oppressor, and as followers of his we should to, when Christ said " I was a stranger and you took me in", what does that mean to you in the context of whats happening in the US atm?. As for the issue of slavery, although Christ didnt specifically mention slavery he did say, Love your neighbour as yourself and treat others as you'd want to be treated", no ifs, no buts, no legal or illegal, just a commandment of love, compassion and Justice.......... We should never accept Evil but should always Hunger and thirst after Righteousness, the will of God, what does Matthew 5 vs 10-16 mean to you?.
Do you believe that as Christians we have a higher calling than the legal system of the country we live in, that we have a moral calling taken from Christs teachings , and where the 2 conflict we must always choose Christs teaching to the law of the land. When Christ says that in the faces of the Hungry, the thirsty, the homeless, the sick, the imprisoned, the stranger, you see him, and whatever you do or dont do to them you do to him, what does that mean to you? We can discuss what we believe to be the practical implications of this, but Christs message is clear, and if we believe in him then we will take up our Cross and try to follow where he leads us regardless of the consequences.
Well then we have a different view of what it means to treat others as we'd want to be treated, if i lived in the poorest countries of the world, oppressed by poverty, violence and desperation and someone offered me the chance of a better life then i'd take it. But what we're dealing with here is just a symptom of the underlying problem, and that is, you have a group of rich countries in the world who dont want to share that wealth with others and you have a mass of humanity living in Poverty who want a better life for themselves and their children. Now you can deal with that problem through laws and violence, trying to prevent the poor from entering the realms of the rich or you can start to distribute that wealth more equitably throughout humanity so that people no longer feel the need to migrate as their lives are enriched where they live. Whose side do you think Christ is on, the rich or the poor?.
Hmmm, in my Bible it says feed the hungry and give to those in need, no ifs or buts, no judgement, just love and compassion, for who are we, miserable sinners that we are, to judge whether someone should starve or not, and what of their family, do they starve too, and most would work if they could,......... but its not my role as a Christian to debate the practicalities, but just to apply what i see as Christs teaching to any given situation.
Again, both sides!!! It appears that you believe that Jesus disregarded the rich! You are mistaken! He spoke to and about the rich, as does the rest of scripture.
Here is where the issue comes in between us. You actually do believe that the lord would have us break the laws of the country that we live in. I do not. No matter how difficult it maybe, or appears to be to follow, you do so, and by doing so you are being faithful to Him. In this country you have a vote, and elect officials that in prayerful consideration will be Godly men & women who win those elections and adhere to God's Word. If it doesn't work out that way, you don't subvert the legal authority that God has put in place. Because you are wrong even when you think that you are not. You believe you can stop hunger, suffering from occurring through violence? You say it's not violence, but peaceful protests. If that were true, no body would be dying!!! If you resist peacefully, not obstructing what Law Enforcement is given to do, there would be no problems, and their consciousness would be convicted because of it. Instead, the opposite behavior that is happening, is hardening their hearts!
The real difference is that you have nothing against force in trying to convince others that you are right. I do not. I present my case, and God willing they will see the truth of it, and their hearts softened to what is asked of them. I do not use volatile words to make my points. Calling duly assigned officers/agents of the government, who have been ordered to perform their duties, is not going to convince anyone to change, except maybe the ignorant, who believe that violence is an option. You use those words all the time brother. Thinking that somehow here with a Godly audience you would convince them of your righteousness by doing so. No, they see through those trigger words, that the world and MSM uses to lead sadly the less understanding of God's Word in its entirety to doing what is wrong.
Asked before if in a different way, and it was answered. You think God loves one more than the other?
Welcome to Socialism/Communism! Tell me that it's worked so well everywhere else it has been tried, especially for the believing Christians! They persecute us more than anyone else does! Sorry no thank-you. It's the old adage about "Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime" You take care of the problem for one day brother, but ultimately, it's their ruin!
Did you even read 2 Thessalonians 3:10 that was making the point to what I was saying? I guess not. Maybe, it's not in your bible.
I sure hope you do Brother Steve.
