Bermuda sounds good. Is it still open?
godrulz
JoinedPosts by godrulz
-
35
Where the need is great
by noontide in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser /> </w:worddocument> </xml><![endif].
wow, havent been around here in a while and it's nice to see some familiar names as well as new ones.. .
well, its that time of year again when some members of my family decide that they need to go preach where the need is great.
-
-
-
84
Do you yearn to know what we are, and why we are here, before you die?
by sabastious inlets face it, we don't know what humans are.
science is doing a good job at uncovering many facts about us, but even science cannot explain consciousness yet.
conciousness is still a strong mystery to us.
-
-
godrulz
jgnat: God said creation was 'very good' BEFORE the Fall of man. After the Fall, He was grieved to the core and regretted making man and wiped most of them out in the Flood. The Fall necessitated His death for us. If it was unnecessary for reconciliation/redemption, we would not have the cross/gospel. Rom. 1-3; Eph. 2, etc. presents us as condemned sinners, rebels, at enmity with God, selfish, falling short of the glory and perfection of God, missing the mark, etc. In light of His holy Law based on His character, we fall short no matter how 'good' we are. The image of God is defaced/marred, not erased. We can do 'good' things, but it won't save us. The gospel is an accurate picture from God's perspective. We will always overemphasize our goodness and minimize our badness. Only the cross can bridge the gap between holy God and sinful man. This does not take away from generic goodness that even the godless are capable of. We can also enjoy creation and rest without giving glory to God. I appreciate temporal life, but eternal issues are paramount.
-
48
What would you say to a friend who claims to have experienced demons?
by InterestedOne inmy jw friend says she experienced demons act on their own behalf even before she became a jw.
she supposedly used to be an atheist, but her experience with demons led her to believe in the "spiritual realm" before she ever encountered jw's.
she says her ex-boyfriend & his friend used to do the ouija board & as a result have a demon following them around.
-
-
godrulz
A JW would be powerless to deal with the demonic. If they think someone is demonized, what do they actually do? Call a Catholic exorcist? Tell the demon to read WT literature?
-
85
Q for all Christians (not just JW) about the ransom.
by Anony Mous inso this is the basic logical flaw in christianity i believe.
a brother identified it from the stage for me in a talk.
we all agree (as christians and jw's) that the ransom was necessary because adam lost his perfection and everlasting life.. this is a paraphrase from the talk:.
-
-
godrulz
anony: you are confusing physical and moral depravity, physical death and spiritual/eternal death. Babies do not die because they have original sin or are sinners. They do not need the Catholic sacrament of infant baptism to be saved.
cofty: Lucifer and Adam sinned without a causative nature back of their will. Mind and will are sufficient explanations for sin. The freedom and will to have great good and love implies the equal necessity to be able to misuse this gift of will for great evil or selfishness. The alternative is robotics who cannot love, relate, be responsible, etc.
corpus: if the greatest commandment is to love God supremely with our whole being, then the greatest sin is to not do so. To trust God for salvation is to know, love, obey, worship Him. Faith is a condition of salvation and includes expressions of loving worship. Worship will be one of the biggest things saints to for all eternity (Rev. 4-5 foretaste glimpse). Everything we do can be an act of worship, not just verbal praise. I am secure in my assurance of eternal life despite not worshipping every second of the day. It is an ultimate choice to have God as Boss instead of King Self. Subordinate choices of loving obedience flow out of this. Those who have relationship with Him worship in spirit and in truth because of love. Those who are religious compartmentalize their life and give God a piece of the pie while remaining selfish and unregenerate.
Note that this love and worship is directed to a person in relationship, NOT proven by obedience to an organization with endless rules and regulations that have nothing to do with knowing, loving, worshipping, serving God. Cults give identity, security, uniformity, simplistic answers, but they do not give life nor relationship with God.
-
46
The Watchtower, Christianity and Cultism
by Nickolas inif you want to upset a jehovah's witness, refer to the watchtower as a sect.
if you really want to upset a jehovah's witness, refer to the watchtower as a cult.
that's pretty much a conversation stopper.. the watchtower denigrates the rest of christianity.
-
-
godrulz
designs: if you were a parent, you would appreciate that controlling a kid is not desirable nor possible. You want God to stop everything without messing with your own free will. Blame the devil and evil men before you blame God. There is no theodicy without considering free will and spiritual warfare. The god you want in your image would not be to your liking either. You would be snuffed in a moment.
-
48
What would you say to a friend who claims to have experienced demons?
by InterestedOne inmy jw friend says she experienced demons act on their own behalf even before she became a jw.
she supposedly used to be an atheist, but her experience with demons led her to believe in the "spiritual realm" before she ever encountered jw's.
she says her ex-boyfriend & his friend used to do the ouija board & as a result have a demon following them around.
-
-
godrulz
fury: some seizures in Scripture were physical and Jesus healed the person; others had a demonic root and Jesus dealt with it by deliverance (so, discern the root cause since it may be physical or demonic).
What does saying the name of Jesus have to do with burning houses down to get rid of demons?! Straw man, ad hominem, as usual.
-
35
Where the need is great
by noontide in[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>normal</w:view> <w:zoom>0</w:zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser /> </w:worddocument> </xml><![endif].
wow, havent been around here in a while and it's nice to see some familiar names as well as new ones.. .
well, its that time of year again when some members of my family decide that they need to go preach where the need is great.
-
-
godrulz
Are field service times really dictated by GB? Can a JW go out whenever they want, including supper hour, early morning, later at night? I am open to sharing my faith anytime, anywhere, with anyone. If I was going out systematically, I would use common sense and be led by the Spirit and vary times. I would expect millions of other Christians would also do the same and that we would not all be clones/drones doing what an organization dictates.
Mormons are also an American thing. They actually have success cross-culturally because poor people in struggling nations want the material success that they seem to have.
Christian missions is impacting every corner of the globe. There is simply not enough JWs properly deployed to fulfill the Great Commission (they are false, so they have a cultic commission).
-
85
Q for all Christians (not just JW) about the ransom.
by Anony Mous inso this is the basic logical flaw in christianity i believe.
a brother identified it from the stage for me in a talk.
we all agree (as christians and jw's) that the ransom was necessary because adam lost his perfection and everlasting life.. this is a paraphrase from the talk:.
-
-
godrulz
God freely wants to extend forgiveness and mercy. He is full of love, mercy, grace. The issues are not personal in that God does not need to be appeased by chicken blood to be made willing or predisposed to forgive (retributive justice). The issues are governmental (public justice). How does He uphold justice and the Law, show the awfulness of sin, demonstrate His love, etc. By coming Himself in Christ to die as a substitute for the penalty of sin/death, He can now wisely extend mercy instead of wrath to penitent individuals. The wages of sin/death are not swept under the carpet, but dealt with by the God-Man dying as a substitute for us. Though literal payment theories are wrong/problematic, you could understand in our legal system that a person could pay your fine and you would be let go. Justice is satisfied and mercy can then be extended. The criminal cannot pay his own fine. The contrast between God is infinite, holy perfection and finite, sinful men who cannot save themselves, never be perfect, etc. Being in Christ means we are accepted in Him, great love/forgiveness/mercy. Apart from Christ, the Law must be upheld and the person pays for his own sin. Law without consequences is mere suggestion and a license for evil to abound unchecked. We don't need to understand all the details (Albert Barnes' 'The Atonement' builds a case) to know that we are sinners, Christ died in our place for sinners, and that faith in Him is receiving the free gift of eternal life because eternal life is in Him and God's righteous moral government is not compromised when we trust His perfect provision. Apart from Christ, it would be unwise and unjust to extend mercy to impenitent sinners. God's holy law would be compromised, there would be no deterrence to destructive sin, etc.
-
46
The Watchtower, Christianity and Cultism
by Nickolas inif you want to upset a jehovah's witness, refer to the watchtower as a sect.
if you really want to upset a jehovah's witness, refer to the watchtower as a cult.
that's pretty much a conversation stopper.. the watchtower denigrates the rest of christianity.
-
-
godrulz
Designs: God is Almighty and chooses to be in control without being all controlling. If you want Him to exercise His power all of the time and micro vs macromanage, you will be reduced to a robot and love, freedom, relationship, responsibility will be negated. God created the universe and will ultimately triumph over evil. Making significant others, free moral agents capable of great good and reciprocal love relationships also risks them doing great evil, rebelling, etc. Funny how you are a finite godplayer who thinks he knows better than God Himself.
AK-Jeff: heresy is half truth; a drop of poison in pure water can be fatal; JW/Mormon are not wrong about everything, but they deny the core, essential, salvific truths of biblical, historical, orthodox Christianity. They have a false god and gospel. If the Bible is not objective divine revelation, I could not say that (except with extreme groups like Jones/Koresh that even atheists would consider false religion). The Church has preserved truth for centuries. When a new group starts around the interpretation of one uneducated man, red lights should flash. Stick to your day job. Your arguments are weak.
-
48
What would you say to a friend who claims to have experienced demons?
by InterestedOne inmy jw friend says she experienced demons act on their own behalf even before she became a jw.
she supposedly used to be an atheist, but her experience with demons led her to believe in the "spiritual realm" before she ever encountered jw's.
she says her ex-boyfriend & his friend used to do the ouija board & as a result have a demon following them around.
-
-
godrulz
Jesus is God and He dealt with demons. The early disciples also were given authority to heal the sick, cast out demons, preach the gospel, etc. It is possible this person is oppressed by demons given her background. I have also sensed demonic oppression at KH and when dealing with JWs (they teach doctrines of demons and there are occult connections in their early history; the deception is more than natural). Secularism and cults cannot help a person with demonic influences. Denying their reality will not help. Discernment is needed since it may be emotional, psychological, mental, physical. If demonic, the only remedy is the name and blood of Jesus to set free. To stay clean, submitting to Christ as Lord and Savior is the key. James tells believers to submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee. For an unbeliever, they would need to call out to God or have a true believer pray on their behalf. We should not look for a demon under every bush. Christians do not fear them either like JWs seem to. Pentecostals do pray for healing, deliverance, salvation, etc. in the name of Jesus. There is power in this, unlike a slow indoctrination period of book studies and eventual conformity to an organization. JWs cannot and will not know this authority/power since they deny the Deity of Christ and the personality of the Holy Spirit.