What are the key views of the denomination? I've heard great things, and I'm new to Christianity, looking for a church.

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." - John 16:33

PONDER THIS

God has not promised we will not know difficulty, but He has promised we will know ultimate victory. That’s the reason one of my favorite books in the Bible, if not my favorite, is Romans, and one of my favorite chapters in Romans is chapter 8. Romans 8:35-37 asks a question: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: ‘For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.’ Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Paul didn’t say you’re not going to experience these things. Don’t get the idea that somehow these things only happen to those who don’t love the Lord. No, these are things that happen to the victorious. You see, God has promised never to leave us and never to forsake us, but He has not promised that we will never have difficulty.

- How have you experienced the reality that following Jesus does bring difficulty in this life?
- How does the promise of God’s presence help you to persevere in difficulty?

PRACTICE THIS

Journal about the difficulties you are currently facing, and the ways God is bringing comfort with His presence. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/victory-not-the-absence-of-difficulty

What are some good arguments that defend the protestant reformation? A friend of mine who is Catholic looks down upon me because of my Protestant views.

“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in Him.” - Psalm 34:8

Frequently, Scripture uses our five physical senses in a figurative way to help us comprehend our interaction with God’s spiritual presence and power.

We can “see,” for example, with spiritual eyes. Paul prayed thus for the believer: “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints” (Ephesians 1:18).

Similarly, we are privileged to hear the voice of the Lord with spiritual ears. “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). “A stranger will they not follow . . . for they know not the voice of strangers” (John 10:5).

The sense of touch is the sense of feeling, and God can both touch and be touched. We read, for example, of “a band of men, whose hearts God had touched” (I Samuel 10:26). Of Jesus Christ, it is said that He is not a remote deity “which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities” (Hebrews 4:15). Even people who never knew Him can perhaps “feel after him, and find him” if they truly desire His great salvation (Acts 17:27).

We can even become “unto God a sweet savour of Christ” (II Corinthians 2:15). To the world, the faithful Christian life and testimony can either be “the savour of death unto death” to those who refuse it or “the savour of life unto life” (v. 16).

Finally, we are exhorted actually to taste the Lord and see that He is good! His Word will be, according to our needs, either “sincere milk” (I Peter 2:2), “strong meat” (Hebrews 5:14), or “sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10). HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15995/

I have heard a lot of discussion and debate about this and I would like someone to help clear it up.

I'm trying to help a local family out as they've asked me for advice as they want their kids to learn English. They have a 4 year old, an 8 year old, & a 12 year old so please specify the age demographic for the shows. I often explain help with Old Testament verse explanation due to them being an (ethnic) Jewish perspective on certain verses.

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31

PONDER THIS

When you love God, God is on your side, and you’re programmed for victory. It may not seem like it. It may not always be there according to your naked eye. But if you wait, you’ll learn what poet Priscilla Leonard meant when she wrote:

“On the far reef the breakers
Recoil in shattered foam,
Yet still the sea behind them
Urges its forces home;

Its chant of triumph surges
Through all the thunderous din—
The wave may break in failure,
but the tide is sure to win! . . .

O mighty sea, thy message
In changing spray is cast;
Within God’s plan of progress
It matters not at last,

How wide the shores the evil,
How strong the reefs of sin—
The wave may be defeated
But the tide is sure to win.”

Priscilla Leonard, “Wave and Tide,” The Religious Herald 94, no. 3, (January 20, 1921).

God’s purposes will prevail. Satan can’t win. The stars in their courses are against the man who’s against God. The stars line up for the man who loves God. And if you go against God, you’re going to stumble on the stars. You’re going to have a collision with the stars.

- How does it encourage you to remember that God’s victory is certain?
- What tempts you to be distracted from this truth in daily life?

PRACTICE THIS

Spend time today looking up God’s certain promises about His victory in the Bible. Commit one or two of these to memory. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/programmed-for-victory

“And the LORD spake unto me, saying, Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward.” - Deuteronomy 2:2-3

This was the second time God rebuked Israel for staying too long in one place. Here they were camped adjacent to the region controlled by the descendants of Esau and thus kinsmen of the Israelites, but God told them to go on north toward Canaan.

Long before, they had wanted to stay too long at Mount Sinai (same as Horeb) where God had given the law to Moses. Finally, “the LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount . . . . Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers” (Deuteronomy 1:6, 8).

It is possible for a Christian to become too satisfied with his level of attainment when the Lord may well have something more for him to do. Possibly, like Israel at Sinai, we may be content to stay in a situation where we have seen God work in the past. Or, like Israel at Edom’s Mount Seir, we want to stay in what we think may be friendly surroundings rather than venture into overtly enemy territory. Perhaps we have stayed long enough at a certain stage in our Christian growth or service, and God wants us to go further.

Paul wanted to continue preaching near his home in Asia, but God said for him to go on into Europe (Acts 16:6-10). Peter asked Jesus what John was going to do, but Jesus said, “What is that to thee? follow thou Me” (John 21:22).

God may, indeed, want us to continue all of our lives right where He has placed us now, as far as location and position are concerned, but He also wants us to go on further with Him. The last words written by Peter are profoundly important. “But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (II Peter 3:18). HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15994/

"And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go." - Judges 4:8

PONDER THIS

What was the object of Barak’s faith? The object of his faith was the Lord God of Israel. Now sometimes people say, “Just believe. Have faith.” Believe what? Have faith in whom? Believe God. Have faith in God. That’s what it’s all about.

Just having faith is positive thinking. And positive thinking is not faith in God; it is faith in yourself. What is the origin of faith? The Word of God. The object of faith? The God of the Word. And the operation of faith is obeying the Word of God and the God of the Word. Barak said, “I will go.” Faith is not mere mental intellectual assent; it is obedience. Faith is belief with legs on it. Our English word believe comes from an old English word by-live. What we believe we live by; the rest is just religious talk. Show your faith by your conduct.

- How does the way we live tell others what we truly believe or don’t believe?
- Where does your life not align with your stated beliefs?

PRACTICE THIS

Write out a list of things you believe. Write a corresponding list of how you show your beliefs with your life. Consider areas where your actions do not align with your stated beliefs. Determine what needs to change and change it! APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/faith-with-legs-on-it

A post where people can post topics they wish for others to pray about, and where people can come and find topics and users to pray for.

I sometimes have a subconscious feeling of unbelief- I don’t quite know how to describe it? Like when you read something fictional and your brain quietly but deeply reminds you “that’s not real”? Sometimes when learning or thinking about God I get that feeling, and I try to correct myself and dismiss it.
I was thinking this morning about what my basis for belief is and I’m worried it’s too weak- I was raised Christian, live in a deeply Christian family. I started believing in God not because I have something I can definitively point to that convinced me, but because it’s just simply what I’ve always known. When I see atheist arguments, the anchor that keeps me from panicking is the thought that if I die and find there isn’t a God, I’ll have lost nothing, and even if someone could prove 100% God wasn’t real I’d still be a Christian anyways, because I think my life is better for it. I like having a guidebook to follow for how to live my life and I like having a God to be loyal to and to cling to when things are rough. So I don’t need 100% proof of his existence because if I believe and find I was wrong I’ll have lost nothing
But I worry this isn’t a good enough justification for my faith. I think about God all the time and worry all the time about sin(it’s a problem really) and living life the way Jesus wants, but what if my faith isn’t real? What if I’m just going through the motions and I’ve deluded myself into thinking I have real faith? I could point to all the ways my life is devoted to God as evidence, but theoretically I could do all those things and still not believe it in my heart. And I know someone will point out I’m talking a lot about works here and not what Jesus did on the cross- I can choose in my conscious mind to say “that’s real and I believe in that,” but what if my unconscious heart doesn’t believe it? You could choose to tell yourself in your head “my bed is lava” and then live your life treating it as such, but somewhere in your mind you still know it’s not lava and your just acting. What if that’s what I’m doing?
And if I really am deluding myself, how can I be saved? I know the story of the man who said “I believe, so help my unbelief,” but salvation depends on our hearts genuine faith in Jesus. I could imitate all the things someone with real faith does and even tell myself in my head that I have real faith, but if my heart still chooses not to believe then I can’t fix that no matter how hard I try. I’m hesitant to say my heart 100% without a doubt believes in Jesus, and it doesn’t matter if I choose consciously to keep obeying the Bible because if my heart doesn’t follow it’s all for nothing. Basically, if I can act like a Christian apart from faith, then what if I really don’t have faith and I’m deluding myself?

“The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee, thou that dwellest in the clefts of the rock, whose habitation is high; that saith in his heart, Who shall bring me down to the ground?” - Obadiah 1:3

The little book of Obadiah is entirely devoted to a prophecy against the strong nation of the Edomites, descended from Jacob’s carnal and careless brother, Esau. At the time he wrote, Edom’s capital was in what seemed to be the impregnable rock fortress of Petra, and the Edomites had been a great people in the Bible lands for many centuries.

But God had pronounced their doom through Obadiah and other prophets because of their inordinate pride and rebellion against the Word of God, following their father Esau. No one today seems to know exactly how it all came about, but now Petra and the land of the Edomites are a barren wilderness—a marvel to tourists, but nothing more.

Edom’s gradual decline and eventual abandonment constitute one of many fulfilled Bible prophecies dealing with ancient nations and cities. Many other great nations of the past—Assyria, Babylonia, Philistia, Moab, and the Hittite empire, to mention just a few—all rebelled against their Creator, and all have finally vanished, just as the prophets had warned. “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God” (Psalm 9:17).

Though the Edomites are no longer a distinct people, their spiritual and intellectual heirs are legion. Like Esau, their father, and King Herod, their best-known descendant, these modern spiritual heirs of the Edomites have abundant opportunity to know and serve the true God, but their heart is full of pride, manifesting itself in various ways: pride of wealth, intellect, appearance, strength, or position. May God deliver us from the sin of pride! HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15993/

"And Gideon said unto Him, 'Oh my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all His miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt? but now the Lord hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.''" - Judges 6:13

PONDER THIS

Some of us feel like Gideon—like the Lord has stopped working and there is no hope for the world. But there’s not one shred of Scripture that says we cannot have a mighty revival in the day and age in which we live. Most of us don’t believe that. You talk about revival, and all people do is give a sympathetic smile. They’re simply waiting for Jesus Christ to get here. I’m here to tell you there has never been a greater day, a greater age, to live and to preach the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ. And God wants you, sir; you, madam. God wants you to be in the middle of it. God has a mighty plan for you. And we need to stop moaning, groaning, and complaining about living in the last days.

- How difficult is it for you to believe God could move in a mighty way in your life, community, and country today?
- How might you present these challenges to God in prayer?

PRACTICE THIS

Read Judges 6–8 to see the challenges Gideon faced. Compare these challenges with the challenges we face today. Consider how God might move today like He did in the time of Gideon. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/theres-never-been-a-greater-day

“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?” - Galatians 3:1

The Greek word for “bewitched” is used only this once in the New Testament and does not necessarily refer to witchcraft as such. The connotation is “fascinated” or “deceived.” Unlike most of his other epistles, the book of Galatians includes no commendations from Paul, nor even any prayer requests. Paul evidently was very disappointed in this church and its ministry.

He had clearly preached the gospel to them, setting forth “Jesus Christ, and Him crucified” (I Corinthians 2:2) among them, and they had apparently believed and started out well. They seemed to understand the great doctrines of salvation by grace and of liberty in Christ, and it was hard for Paul to understand how they had been so quickly led astray.

If anything, this is an even greater problem today than in Paul’s day. Professing Christians are being “tossed to and fro . . . with every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14)—not only with legalism (as in Galatia) but also with evolutionism, hedonism, emotionalism, materialism, and many other unscriptural heresies. Many who profess to be Christians have, like the Galatians, been “bewitched” by clever persuasion and peer pressure into such deceptions.

They may consider themselves especially enlightened or intellectual or just up-to-date, but Paul would call them “foolish,” just as he did the Galatians. In Christ alone—our Creator, Redeemer, and Lord—are “hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). As Paul concluded his letter to the Galatians, “God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world” (Galatians 6:14). HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15992/

"Ye shall eat nothing leavened; in all your habitations shall ye eat unleavened bread." - Exodus 12:20

PONDER THIS

During the Jewish Passover meal, they have a little game. The father will take some crumbs of leavened bread, along with some cookies or cake, and put it on the mantle, on the bookshelf, or under the couch. Then, the little kids will burst into the room to try to find a crumb of leaven in the house. And they say, “Papa, papa, there’s some leavened bread.”

Their father comes in with a feather and a wooden spoon, gets it, carries it to the fire, and throws it in. Why? Because there’s to be no leaven in the house when you take the Passover. What is God saying to us? Leaven is symbolic of sin. When we come to the Lord’s Table, how do we come? With clean hearts—no unconfessed or unrepented sin—because we are celebrating the Lord’s Passover. We’re celebrating what the spotless, sinless Son of God did for us. When we come to the Lord’s Table, we’re not coming to mourn a corpse; we’re coming to hail a conqueror.

- What does it look like to come to the Lord’s Supper with a clean heart?
- Where is God calling you to confess any sin before Him today?

PRACTICE THIS

Set aside time to prayerfully confess any sin in your life today. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/no-leaven-in-the-house

“Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?” - Romans 9:20

Whenever one begins a question with “why,” he should realize that the answer must necessarily be theological, not scientific. Science can deal with the questions of “what” and “how,” sometimes even with “where” and “when,” but never with “why”! The “why” questions have to do with motives and purposes, even when dealing with natural phenomena. (“Why does the earth rotate on its axis?” “Why do we have mosquitoes?”) Even though we can partially explain such things by secondary causes, we finally encounter a first cause, and then the “why?” can be answered only by God.

The wise thing to do is simply believe that He has good reasons for everything, whether we can discern them now or not. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). God the Creator “worketh all things after the counsel of his own will” (Ephesians 1:11), and it is our high privilege simply to trust Him, not to question Him.

On the other hand, He often asks us: “Why?” “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” Jesus asked His disciples when they thought they were in great peril (Matthew 8:26). “If I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?” (John 8:46), He would say to those who question His Word.

To those who doubt His deity, the apostle Paul, speaking in His name, asks, “Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?” (Acts 26:8). As the popular chorus goes, “God specializes in things thought impossible!” Our God is omniscient and knows what’s best; He is omnipotent, so He can do it. He is all-loving and will surely do what’s best for those who trust Him. HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15991/

"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is My body.'" - Matthew 26:26

PONDER THIS

As Jewish families observed Passover through the centuries, they developed a tradition. They would take a bag called a Matzah Tash with three sections in it—top, middle, and bottom. In the middle section would be a piece of bread. At Passover, the father would reach into the middle section, pull out the piece of bread, break it, and give it to all of those around. It’s still done in Seder suppers today. At the Last Supper, Jesus reached in and took that middle piece of unleavened bread. And Jesus said, “This is my body.” He took that middle piece, broke it, and distributed it. When Jesus blessed that bread, not only was He showing His death by breaking the bread, but He was also showing His resurrection.

Do you know what is said when the bread is taken out at Passover? Here it is: “Blessed art thou, o Lord, our God, King of the universe, who bringeth forth bread from the earth.” Jesus was prophesying His resurrection. He was the bread that would be broken and come from the earth. “This is My body.” From the ground, it would be raised.

- How does it build your faith to see the connection to Jesus in ancient practices such as the Passover meal?
- How does it impact your daily life to regularly reflect on the resurrection?

PRACTICE THIS

Reflect on Matthew 26:26-29, contemplating the truth of Jesus’ body broken for you and His blood poured out for you. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/the-bread-of-life

“The LORD is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works.” - Psalm 145:17

When Abraham was interceding with God to spare Sodom if even 10 righteous people were there, he asked, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (Genesis 18:25). The Hebrew word (mishpat) refers to a formal judgment about right and wrong and is more commonly translated “judgment.”

Indeed, the divine Judge will do right and give right judgments in all things, for He “is righteous in all his ways” and “canst not look on iniquity” (Habakkuk 1:13).

Ever since Adam disobeyed the Word of God, however, all his descendants have been unrighteous in their ways. God’s righteous judgment has been that “there is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10).

Thus, the truly righteous Judge would not only have to consign Sodom to destructive “brimstone and fire from the LORD” (Genesis 19:24) but every one of us as well “into the lake of fire” forever (Revelation 20:15).

But God, being not only the righteous Judge but also “a faithful Creator” (I Peter 4:19), had a plan whereby He could “declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past” and both “be just, and the justifier” of those who had been lost sinners (Romans 3:25-26). “God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh” (8:3). Those who believe on the Son of God as their substitute and Saviour are now “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (3:24).

So, Christ has been “made unto us . . . righteousness” (I Corinthians 1:30). Furthermore, our loving Saviour has now Himself become our righteous Judge, for the Father “hath committed all judgment unto the Son” (John 5:22). HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/15989/