Matthew 24
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Theoretically speaking here, Nothing found in the literal Word of God should ever deceive a true Follower of Christ. And that Truth has been evident for the past 2,000 years. But, within that past 2,000 years, and even more recent within the last 500 and 200 years, Doctrines not found discussed by Christ, the Apostles, even the Church Fathers have been popping up left and right. And then more recent, within the past 50 years, we've seen Doctrines that dealt with Wealth, Healing, Name it Claim it, the revived Grace Message [License to Sin/God created 2 types of people, 1 for Heaven, 1 for Hell]. And most recently, the Seeker Friendly Movement has swarmed to the surface.
Now, those ^ Movements have been extremely damaging.
Grant it, we have the New Age Movements, the Universal Love Movement, and Scientology, but those fade and you don't hear of them for awhile.
Then we have Mormonism and Jehova Witnesses, but they don't recruit well and are only continuing because people are born into it and remain and have children and the cycle continues.
But no doubt, there is a Movement coming, that will shake the Core and Thin the Ranks. Time will tell, but I believe we won't have to wait very long for it to birth itself onto the scene.
Now, those ^ Movements have been extremely damaging.
Grant it, we have the New Age Movements, the Universal Love Movement, and Scientology, but those fade and you don't hear of them for awhile.
Then we have Mormonism and Jehova Witnesses, but they don't recruit well and are only continuing because people are born into it and remain and have children and the cycle continues.
But no doubt, there is a Movement coming, that will shake the Core and Thin the Ranks. Time will tell, but I believe we won't have to wait very long for it to birth itself onto the scene.
I believe, and at least hope, that I am a part of this movement. 5.5 years ago the Lord found and plucked me out of the Arizona desert in the most incredible, Powerful way. Since then, that time that the Lord showed His Almighty Power to me, I have taken Him seriously. I wish that everyone would take God seriously . . . for they are alive because He has allowed it. If I had not felt the Power that parted the Red Sea and the Jordan River . . . I would still be just another "said christian" thinking he knew it all.
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Thank you for your warm welcome and kind words! I hope that my posts will continue to be inspiring to those who read them.
Speaking of inspiration, here is a quote that has stuck with me from a sermon I heard once:
"When I look to Jesus I cannot be lost, but when I look to myself I cannot be saved."
We as human beings get very distracted by looking at ourselves and can easily lose sight of what actually saves us. It is not our own effort, but the gift of God working through us each and every day. It is that relationship we develop over time with Jesus as we read the Bible and pray and get to know Him better.
Salvation is not just a one-time decision. There are several steps involved. First there is the conversion experience where we are saved from the penalty of sin. This is the point when we realize what Jesus did on the cross for us and decide to start a life-long journey with Him out of gratitude. Then comes the lifelong process of being saved from the power of sin. This is where developing that relationship with Jesus changes our attitudes from just gratitude to something much deeper where we want to do everything in our power to please God. In return God gives us that sweet freedom of no longer desiring those sinful habits that used to hurt us. This is a daily process with lots of falls and bumps along the way as we learn to let God handle our weaknesses on our behalf. Just because some bumps are encountered along the way does not mean that salvation is automatically off the table for us. It is the overall journey and willingness and trust in Jesus to allow Him to pick up the pieces that makes the difference in the end. The third step happens after we go to heaven and are saved from the presence of sin. This is where we have the assurance of never facing that enemy again. The choice of salvation can be made at each step along the way and God will never override that decision. Imagine what heaven would be like for people who don't want to be there and don't want to have anything to do with Jesus. It would be a miserable place and a life of eternal torment, which is not salvation at all for anyone.
In short salvation is comprised of the 3 ps: Salvation from the penalty, power, and presence of sin.
Salvation is a gift that is freely offered to each and every one of us. But it is our choice to make every day if we want that gift. If we consciously and persistently choose to no longer pursue that relationship with God, than we are no longer experiencing salvation; not because that is what God wants for us, but it is what we want for ourselves.
Speaking of inspiration, here is a quote that has stuck with me from a sermon I heard once:
"When I look to Jesus I cannot be lost, but when I look to myself I cannot be saved."
We as human beings get very distracted by looking at ourselves and can easily lose sight of what actually saves us. It is not our own effort, but the gift of God working through us each and every day. It is that relationship we develop over time with Jesus as we read the Bible and pray and get to know Him better.
Salvation is not just a one-time decision. There are several steps involved. First there is the conversion experience where we are saved from the penalty of sin. This is the point when we realize what Jesus did on the cross for us and decide to start a life-long journey with Him out of gratitude. Then comes the lifelong process of being saved from the power of sin. This is where developing that relationship with Jesus changes our attitudes from just gratitude to something much deeper where we want to do everything in our power to please God. In return God gives us that sweet freedom of no longer desiring those sinful habits that used to hurt us. This is a daily process with lots of falls and bumps along the way as we learn to let God handle our weaknesses on our behalf. Just because some bumps are encountered along the way does not mean that salvation is automatically off the table for us. It is the overall journey and willingness and trust in Jesus to allow Him to pick up the pieces that makes the difference in the end. The third step happens after we go to heaven and are saved from the presence of sin. This is where we have the assurance of never facing that enemy again. The choice of salvation can be made at each step along the way and God will never override that decision. Imagine what heaven would be like for people who don't want to be there and don't want to have anything to do with Jesus. It would be a miserable place and a life of eternal torment, which is not salvation at all for anyone.
In short salvation is comprised of the 3 ps: Salvation from the penalty, power, and presence of sin.
Salvation is a gift that is freely offered to each and every one of us. But it is our choice to make every day if we want that gift. If we consciously and persistently choose to no longer pursue that relationship with God, than we are no longer experiencing salvation; not because that is what God wants for us, but it is what we want for ourselves.
Thank you for your post.
For me, experience with our Powerful God has been apparently much different from that of others. I have felt His Raw, Almighty Power . . . the Power that created the Universe and it nearly killed me. This is what I might call "Irresistible Grace." For certain, I was cleansed that day, purged of the Curse of the Sinful Nature. What I felt, in a measurable way, was so unbelievable that it would be impossible for a human to [not] respond to it/Him. What I felt concluded within me that to do anything other than respecting our Powerful God and taking Him seriously was my only choice. In those moments, I realized that all glories and satisfactions of this world are absolutely meaningless compared to the Love and Peace that I felt. Yes, God's Love and Peace, His Holy Presence, is so Powerful that human flesh cannot endure it. This Love and Peace is so utterly remarkable, so incredibly good . . . it is virtually impossible for any person to ignore, forget, and deny it.
I assure you my friend . . . anyone who is chosen to go to Heaven will not be miserable. Instead, they will be overwhelmed and consumed with the greatest of all sensations. It is absolutely no problem to deny any sense of satisfaction on this planet in comparison to what I felt that day . . . even the most incredible sexual relationship and experiences imaginable. They are nothing compared to the Peace of Love of God (that nearly killed me).
I would imagine that Paul had a similar encounter while on the Damascus Road as he was on his way to ultimately find and persecute Christians. Paul was seeking up to and including murder . . . he was certainly not seeking Christ. Yet he was chosen, and instantly, while on that Road, he referred to Jesus as Lord. Paul knew exactly who he was dealing with . . . the Power overwhelmed him to the point of taking his eyesight. Just as I felt that I was to be physically altered by the presence of God, Paul was in fact altered. He was instantly changed. Within likely to be a couple of weeks, Paul began preaching the Word of Christ. This is what the Power of God will do to a person when He consumes their very life, body, and soul. I wish this would happen to all of the Lord's Saints!
For me, experience with our Powerful God has been apparently much different from that of others. I have felt His Raw, Almighty Power . . . the Power that created the Universe and it nearly killed me. This is what I might call "Irresistible Grace." For certain, I was cleansed that day, purged of the Curse of the Sinful Nature. What I felt, in a measurable way, was so unbelievable that it would be impossible for a human to [not] respond to it/Him. What I felt concluded within me that to do anything other than respecting our Powerful God and taking Him seriously was my only choice. In those moments, I realized that all glories and satisfactions of this world are absolutely meaningless compared to the Love and Peace that I felt. Yes, God's Love and Peace, His Holy Presence, is so Powerful that human flesh cannot endure it. This Love and Peace is so utterly remarkable, so incredibly good . . . it is virtually impossible for any person to ignore, forget, and deny it.
I assure you my friend . . . anyone who is chosen to go to Heaven will not be miserable. Instead, they will be overwhelmed and consumed with the greatest of all sensations. It is absolutely no problem to deny any sense of satisfaction on this planet in comparison to what I felt that day . . . even the most incredible sexual relationship and experiences imaginable. They are nothing compared to the Peace of Love of God (that nearly killed me).
I would imagine that Paul had a similar encounter while on the Damascus Road as he was on his way to ultimately find and persecute Christians. Paul was seeking up to and including murder . . . he was certainly not seeking Christ. Yet he was chosen, and instantly, while on that Road, he referred to Jesus as Lord. Paul knew exactly who he was dealing with . . . the Power overwhelmed him to the point of taking his eyesight. Just as I felt that I was to be physically altered by the presence of God, Paul was in fact altered. He was instantly changed. Within likely to be a couple of weeks, Paul began preaching the Word of Christ. This is what the Power of God will do to a person when He consumes their very life, body, and soul. I wish this would happen to all of the Lord's Saints!
I put together the below diagram. But I am not the author of the verses. There is no way that I could put a copyright on the diagram because I didn't write the verses. \
Wait a second. Maybe I see what you're saying. If JTB said that he created the b.elow diagram, then I guess that could be a problem. I dunno. Maybe I'm wrong about this. I've been wrong before!
Wait a second. Maybe I see what you're saying. If JTB said that he created the b.elow diagram, then I guess that could be a problem. I dunno. Maybe I'm wrong about this. I've been wrong before!
Attachments
The pillars of our christian faith are not up for a new revelation to change.
Some things are not negotiable.
We can still debate, but at the end of the day the pillars are to be accepted.
If it was just " everything is open minded, or you are in deception" then there could be no such thing as a heretic.
Some things are not negotiable.
We can still debate, but at the end of the day the pillars are to be accepted.
If it was just " everything is open minded, or you are in deception" then there could be no such thing as a heretic.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/José_Luis_de_Jesús
This guy is the best one- he even has a 666 tattoo, so there's no confusion about what he was.
This guy is the best one- he even has a 666 tattoo, so there's no confusion about what he was.