Absolute beginner !

[EternalFire]

thanks , he says he's going to get a Rastafarian tattoo
well I like to respect peoples beliefs but I think
rastafaraianism is about taking drugs
so that was a disappointment

There is Christian reggae music that he may enjoy.

Here’s a link to an interview with Mark Mohr of Christafari that may interest you and your brother.

 

[followJesustoday]

Thankyou maxwel and Adstar

So if Jesus took our sins how come we're still sinners

We will all be sinners as long as we are on 'this' sinful earth. Sin entered this world when Adam and Eve disregarded the commands of God to NOT eat of the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. He was testing their trust in Him who created them. They rather ate of the forbidden fruit with coaxing from the evil one: the devil disguised as a serpent--- Remember-- God created 2 perfect humans to live in a perfect world but they disobeyed God and we have been suffering the effects of their actions ever since!!

 

[followJesustoday]

Welcome. You just entered the greatest adventure of your life. And like beginning anything new, it takes awhile to figure things out. And just as parents care for and provide for their children, our heavenly Father cares for us. There will be alot of well-meaning people who give you advice and that's OK. But it takes time for a baby to learn new things and mature. And it will for you. But no worries. God is overseeing and directing your life. My prayer for you is that God will put a few people into your life who come beside you and invest themselves into your life. Some who will share in your joy and your trials and help you to know God and learn His ways.
One thing I will share is something I wish someone had shared with me early in my Christian walk: Psalm 46:1...God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. A good preacher could preach a month of Sundays on this verse. I don't want to overburden you but just say that God is near to His people. He is intimately involved in the circumstances of His people's lives, particularly in their troubles. Troubles will come. For some reason I never understood this and couldn't understand why God would allow difficult times when I was trying so hard to live for Him. It has to do with the ways of God. God allows hardship in our lives so we learn to walk by faith. And He will deliver us at some point. But God doesn't deliver His people so much out of their problems as He delivers them through their trials. And He does so that we will enjoy Him in the process and come to see Him in His unmatchable glory. This will cause us to know the all desirability of God. And as He becomes our greatest desire we will find our highest good in the enjoyment of Him. And when we are most satisfied in Him, He is most glorified. So learn to see your trials not as hardship, but as opportunities to know God more intimately.
Will be praying for you.

I totally agree with you that trials are Gods way of bringing us closer to Him!!-- I could write a book 3 inches thick on the trials I and my family have endured. You learn through trials/struggles on how to be stronger, empathetic, giving, loving and patient,, among many other attributes.

 

[followJesustoday]

thank you everyone

You're welcome! My response was dated today-!2/5/23---some posts have no dates??

 

[followJesustoday]

Anyone like to introduce me to some basic concepts ?

What I know so far

As you judge so shall you be judged

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone

That's about it !

A straightforward 'example' answer to your question: say you see a lady giving you a dirty look in a store and instantly you take it personally and get angry/want to give her an angry look back. Instead of getting angry at her and judging her, just stop and think---she might have just lost her husband or some other bad problem in her life. If we judge others in this manner, God will judge us also--Get it?
Also, if you are perfectly sinless, how can you judge others for their sins? Watch 'Jesus of Nazareth' movie and you'll learn a lot! Hope I helped!

 

[followJesustoday]

I've been looking to give some bible studies, if you have any more questions or specifics, reach out, ([email protected]) I think the most beautiful, basic concept, is the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus...I mean, its so hard to even understand, or explain, because it doesn't make sense logically, but it's love. You see, Jesus was on His throne in heaven, completely holy, supreme, and undisturbed, when He saw that Adam and Eve sinned, which basically meant all of humanity sinned (since the population was - 2.) Now the penalty for disobeying God like that was death, which was weird. Because death wasn't a thing, I mean nobody knew what it was or what it meant, but it sounded scary. And now, Adam and Eve were gonna get it. But Jesus, and His Father, knew what was gonna happen, they knew that death meant, no more existing, as if they never were created, complete erasment. They just loved that little couple so much, I mean so..so..so much...and it wasn't the only world, there were millions, if not billions, or more of other worlds and creations and peoples in the universe, all obedient. And Jesus loved them all, equally, but imagine you have 10 puppies, and 1 of them gets hurt, and starts limping, you give it special care. So Jesus saw those two people, and He foresaw all the billions of people who would come after in the generations, and He saw you, your face, heard your voice, and He thought, how can I not love them, how can I not try and save them? To fast forward, Jesus did what no one expected, He became a human, and He left a Kingdom, to be a poor person on earth, I mean, you wouldn't even want to trade your life for what He lived, no one would. He was poor, homeless, sometimes He didn't have food, and there were many attempts on His life until finally they tortured and killed Him. And yet, through such an apparent defeat, almost miserable life, some would say worthless, He never invented anything, did some great work, He had no wife, kids, and died at the early age of 33. What He did, was so powerful, that He saved Adam and Eve, and every person from that time forward who decides to follow Him and be a Christian, He gave you a way, that despite all the bad things you've done, thought of, tried to do, you can literally be regarded as never having done it. Forget presidential pardon, this is a Celestial pardon, all the evidence proves you to be guilty , there are witnesses , there is a skilled accuser who has listed every offense you have made, but because your defense attorney carries this pardon, the verdict is clear, you are free. Now why would you go out and repeat the same offense? Go and sin no more. That doesn't mean if you do sin again, this time there is no Celestial pardon, that pardon is available every time you ask for it. But be careful, because sin has this odd and deadly effect, where if it persists in a person, it leads them to not feel guilty, to not want forgiveness, and not ask for a pardon. If you don't ask, you won't receive, and the verdict will be guilty, and you will sadly die. Fight sin, so it doesn't have that effect on you and every time you fall, get up, only quitters stay down, the Bible says "the righteous man (the good man) falls 7 times, but he gets up" but the fool ...in scary times, in crisis, in constant news shocks, in economic instability, in deadly wars, in persecution, he gives up. Ask for forgiveness, be thankful for the pardon, and work with your defense team to resist the enemy. You just entered the fight, stick with it because you are going to fight for your life.

Great thoughts Matthew

 

[Lucia]

Thanks for your prayers and comments , I'm recovering !

 

[Cameron143]

I totally agree with you that trials are Gods way of bringing us closer to Him!!-- I could write a book 3 inches thick on the trials I and my family have endured. You learn through trials/struggles on how to be stronger, empathetic, giving, loving and patient,, among many other attributes.

You should write the book. It would be helpful for people to view difficulty not as hardship, but as a platform of opportunity. I'd make it less than 3 inches thick though, unless it includes pages to color or pop-ups.

 

[followJesustoday]

Thankyou maxwel and Adstar

So if Jesus took our sins how come we're still sinners

Lucia,
He certainly DID take all our past, present and future sins away. But those cleansings are reserved for God's judgement when he begins to rule on the new earth. Those who believe in Christ Jesus will NOT have to go to hell because Jesus died on cross to save us from hell. While we remain on this 'present' earth we will be sinners. God gave us a gift of free will 'after' Adam and Eve sinned toward God. Unfortunately, people chose BAD things instead of GOOD things.---Lynn

 

[oyster67]

Thankyou maxwel and Adstar

So if Jesus took our sins how come we're still sinners

When we refer to a person being a "sinner", we are generally referring to a person who has adopted sin as their chosen lifestyle and rejected Jesus' salvation. When we come to Jesus, we do not instantly become perfect, but we do begin traveling in a different direction. That is one of the differences between being a sinner and a saint. The saint repents and seeks forgiveness while the sinner goes on along his merry way without caring. "I don't need to be forgiven" is his theme song.

1 John 1:10 Context

7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.