On July 1st, 2023, Reddit intends to alter how its API is accessed. This move will require developers of third-party applications to pay enormous sums of money if they wish to stay functional, meaning that said applications will be effectively destroyed. In the short term, this may have the appearance of increasing Reddit's traffic and revenue... but in the long term, it will undermine the site as a whole.

Reddit relies on volunteer moderators to keep its platform welcoming and free of objectionable material. It also relies on uncompensated contributors to populate its numerous communities with content. The above decision promises to adversely impact both groups: Without effective tools (which Reddit has frequently promised and then failed to deliver), moderators cannot combat spammers, bad actors, or the entities who enable either, and without the freedom to choose how and where they access Reddit, many contributors will simply leave. Rather than hosting creativity and in-depth discourse, the platform will soon feature only recycled content, bot-driven activity, and an ever-dwindling number of well-informed visitors. The very elements which differentiate Reddit – the foundations that draw its audience – will be eliminated, reducing the site to another dead cog in the Ennui Engine.

We implore Reddit to listen to its moderators, its contributors, and its everyday users; to the people whose activity has allowed the platform to exist at all: Do not sacrifice long-term viability for the sake of a short-lived illusion. Do not tacitly enable bad actors by working against your volunteers. Do not posture for your looming IPO while giving no thought to what may come afterward. Focus on addressing Reddit's real problems – the rampant bigotry, the ever-increasing amounts of spam, the advantage given to low-effort content, and the widespread misinformation – instead of on a strategy that will alienate the people keeping this platform alive.

If Steve Huffman's statement – "I want our users to be shareholders, and I want our shareholders to be users" – is to be taken seriously, then consider this our vote:

Allow the developers of third-party applications to retain their productive (and vital) API access.

Allow Reddit and Redditors to thrive

“But when I speak with thee, I will open thy mouth, and thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; he that heareth, let him hear; and he that forbeareth, let him forbear: for they are a rebellious house.” (Ezekiel 3:27)
Ezekiel is a great literary Old Testament book. It connects the Bible’s prophecies that deal with the history of Israel. But for many Christians, the book is an endless maze of strange visions. This keeps some from even cracking open its pages.
Who is this man, Ezekiel? He began his ministry as a priest (Ezekiel 1:3). At 30 years old (v. 1), Ezekiel was called by God to the tough challenge of being His spokesman. During this time, Judah was under Babylonian control and the iron rule of Nebuchadnezzar. Ezekiel lived with other Jewish captives close to the Euphrates and Kebar Rivers (3:15).
Ezekiel was Israel’s spiritual watchman (v. 17). Watchmen were stationed on city walls to alert people of approaching dangers so they could run and seek protection. Similarly, Ezekiel sounded warnings of impending judgment, both to the unsaved to turn from evil (vv. 8-19) and to the righteous to remain faithful (vv. 20-21). His recorded plea in today’s verse—“Thus saith the Lord GOD; he that heareth, let him hear”—is similar to our Lord Jesus Christ’s directive hundreds of years later: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15; 13:9, 43).
The times have definitely changed, but the lessons are still the same. How tuned in are we as our Lord’s watchmen telling and admonishing others about the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, regardless of the cost? How ready are we to apply, in humility, the Word of God? James urges believers to “receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls” (James 1:21). CM
https://www.icr.org/article/14070/?utm\_source=phplist10643&utm\_medium=email&utm\_content=HTML&utm\_campaign=June+10+-+Ezekiel+as+God%27s+Watchman

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“The Spirit of the LORD God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” (Isaiah 61:1)

The Lord Jesus appropriated this beautiful verse of the prophet Isaiah to Himself, preaching from it one day in the Nazareth synagogue and proclaiming: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Luke 4:21).

Note that He came to preach the gospel to the meek, not the arrogant, and to bind up the brokenhearted, not the hardhearted. He also came to set the captives free. This was not, however, to deliver the Jews from Roman bondage as many had hoped, but a far greater deliverance. In the Hebrew, the phrase “opening of the prison” is only one word (a doubled word), and it occurs only this one time in the Old Testament. When Christ quoted it in the synagogue, He actually expanded and interpreted it as follows: “recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised” (Luke 4:18).

The “prison” that Christ came to open is evidently a spiritual prison, a binding of the soul, a blinding of the mind. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36)—free from the bondage of sin, translated “out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).

There was also another prison, a very real prison, deep in the heart of the earth to which He came. While His body slept in the tomb, His spirit descended into Hades where the spirits of all who had died in faith were awaiting Him, and “when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and...ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things” (Ephesians 4:8, 10). HMM

https://www.icr.org/article/14069/?utm_source=phplist10642&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=June+9+-+The+Opened+Prison

Baptist here asking a question. How do we know we have the Holy Spirit?

“Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9)

Peter had seen the Lord, but he was writing to those who hadn’t, including us. Like them, we can have a personal relationship with the Lord, even though we haven’t physically seen Him. “Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Also like them, we can have terrible trials (1 Peter 1:7). Their responses to Christ while in the midst of trials, as given in our text, are likewise appropriate for us.

They loved Him: Love many times makes a trial bearable. “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Romans 8:35). He loves us too much to abandon us, and we love Him in return.

They believed: “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth [or believes] in thee” (Isaiah 26:3). “Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters” (Jeremiah 17:7-8). Our faith is well founded.

They rejoiced: “But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13). The proper response to trials brings inexpressible joy. The end of such faith as explained in our text is the complete and ultimate salvation of our souls, with many victories of faith along the way. JDM

https://www.icr.org/article/14068/?utm_source=phplist10641&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=June+8+-+Love%2C+Faith%2C+Joy

“But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” (1 Corinthians 15:10)

The apostle Paul was, by any measure, one of the most dedicated and fruitful Christians who ever lived. If any man had a right to be proud of his writings, or his works, or his life in general, it was Paul. No doubt he, like others, had to wrestle with the sin of pride, reminding himself again and again that all he had done he owed simply to the grace and guidance and provision of God.

He could well have boasted, as noted in our text, that he had labored more abundantly than any of the other apostles, but then he brought himself up short with the remonstrance: “Yet not I!” All of his work and success therein he owed completely to the grace of God.

This phrase occurs just two other times. The first is when Paul is giving out his advice and wisdom concerning that most basic of all human institutions, marriage. “And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband” (1 Corinthians 7:10). As wise (and even divinely inspired) as his words may have been, he must remind his readers that, after all, this was Christ’s command, not his!

The last occurrence is in Paul’s great testimony concerning his new and changed life in Christ. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20). The transformed, holy, powerful life he was living was not his own accomplishment but due solely to the indwelling Christ. And surely, if Paul must so remind himself and his listeners, then we should never boast of our own life or works or words. Not I, but Christ—that is to be our testimony! HMM

https://www.icr.org/article/14067/?utm_source=phplist10640&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=June+7+-+Yet+Not+I

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” (Galatians 6:1)

According to the New Testament, there are two broad categories of Christian believers, carnal and spiritual—that is, those whose actions and decisions are mainly governed by the “flesh” and those who normally are governed by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Paul noted this fact when he wrote to the bickering Christians in the church at Corinth. “And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:1).

Even though true believers can behave carnally, the fact that they are “babes in Christ” confirms that they are “in Christ.” They just need to grow up, as it were, into spiritual maturity through partaking of both the milk and the meat of the Scriptures. Note 1 Peter 2:2 (“desire the sincere milk of the word”) and Hebrews 5:14 (“strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age”) for the God-given principle of Christian growth.

But our text also has a warning for spiritual Christians! When confronted with the fact of a “fault” (that is, literally, a willful sin) in the life of a Christian brother, we must remember that our own spirituality does not guarantee that we ourselves are immune from sin. We must be careful to help rather than to condemn such a weak brother because we still can “also be tempted,” even though we usually try diligently to obey God’s Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

It is vital, the apostle reminds us, that “ye which are spiritual” maintain a true “spirit of meekness” in our interactions with fellow believers, as well as with the unsaved. HMM

https://www.icr.org/article/14066/?utm_source=phplist10639&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=June+6+-+Ye+Which+Are+Spiritual

“Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” (James 1:2-5)
Do you count trials as “joy”? Well, that’s what James commands in these beginning verses. His letter was directed to those Jewish saints who were scattered abroad—victims of intense persecution, hunted down because of their faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Let’s face it, we naturally dislike trials, with their accompanying chastening. Solomon acknowledged this resistance when he penned, “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction” (Proverbs 3:11). But trials have a targeted purpose in sanctification as God strategically perfects the believer in his pilgrim’s progress.
Who is your go-to first responder for wisdom when trials come knocking at your door? Maybe you seek a spouse, or friend, or you post on social media. Those choices may be helpful, but they’re limited at best. Instead, James 1:5 instructs believers that our Lord Jesus Christ is one prayer away.
Additionally, He freely and quickly gives the needed wisdom for our struggle. What could ever compete with divine wisdom’s offer? Certainly not the cumulative riches of this world (Proverbs 3:13-15). What’s more, our Creator, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, skillfully used this same wisdom to speak His creation into existence (Genesis 1–2), shaping the universe into perfection (Hebrews 11:3). Our part is to ask “in faith, [with] nothing wavering” (James 1:6) for this supreme wisdom. What are you waiting for? CM
https://www.icr.org/article/14065/?utm\_source=phplist10638&utm\_medium=email&utm\_content=HTML&utm\_campaign=June+5+-+Wisdom+for+Encountering+Trials

“Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts.” (Zechariah 4:6)
All the works men undertake that glorify the Lord and have lasting value are accomplished by the work of His Spirit. All human striving toward good purposes is nothing without the direction and aid of that same powerful Spirit. Psalm 127:1 says, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it.”
Christ’s ministry began with common folk. Jesus called forth Simon and Andrew as they were “casting a net into the sea,” and James and John while they were “mending their nets” (Matthew 4:18, 21). The first followers of our Lord were not the great and powerful of this world. The apostle Paul told the Corinthian church, “For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Corinthians 1:26).
Many of God’s elect don’t have riches, rank, or power because the kingdom of Christ is not dependent on these worldly things. Indeed, “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence” (1 Corinthians 1:27-29).
God’s Spirit not only empowers His kingdom purposes and work but also individually provides the strength and fortitude we desperately need. Paul encouraged Timothy, saying, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). JPT
https://www.icr.org/article/14064/?utm\_source=phplist10637&utm\_medium=email&utm\_content=HTML&utm\_campaign=June+4+-+By+His+Spirit

Head's up: June 12th protest of Reddit's API changes.

This subreddit will be joining in on the June 12th-14th protest of Reddit's API changes that will essentially kill all 3rd party Reddit apps.

What's going on?

A recent Reddit policy change threatens to kill many beloved third-party mobile apps, making a great many quality-of-life features not seen in the official mobile app permanently inaccessible to users.

On May 31, 2023, Reddit announced they were raising the price to make calls to their API from being free to a level that will kill every third party app on Reddit, from Apollo to Reddit is Fun to Narwhal to BaconReader.

Even if you're not a mobile user and don't use any of those apps, this is a step toward killing other ways of customizing Reddit, such as Reddit Enhancement Suite or the use of the old.reddit.com desktop interface .

This isn't only a problem on the user level: many subreddit moderators depend on tools only available outside the official app to keep their communities on-topic and spam-free.

What's the plan?

On June 12th, many subreddits will be going dark to protest this policy. Some will return after 48 hours: others will go away permanently unless the issue is adequately addressed, since many moderators aren't able to put in the work they do with the poor tools available through the official app. This isn't something any of us do lightly: we do what we do because we love Reddit, and we truly believe this change will make it impossible to keep doing what we love.

The two-day blackout isn't the goal, and it isn't the end. Should things reach the 14th with no sign of Reddit choosing to fix what they've broken, we'll use the community and buzz we've built between then and now as a tool for further action.

What can you do as a user?

• Complain. Message the mods of /r/reddit.com, who are the admins of the site: message /u/reddit: submit a support request: comment in relevant threads on /r/reddit, such as this one, leave a negative review on their official iOS or Android app- and sign your username in support to this post.

• Spread the word. Rabble-rouse on related subreddits. Suggest anyone you know who moderates a subreddit join the coordinated mod effort at /r/ModCoord.

• Boycott and spread the word...to Reddit's competition! Stay off Reddit entirely on June 12th through the 13th- instead, take to your favorite non-Reddit platform of choice and make some noise in support!

• Don't be a jerk. As upsetting this may be, threats, profanity and vandalism will be worse than useless in getting people on our side. Please make every effort to be as restrained, polite, reasonable and law-abiding as possible.

What can you do as a moderator?

• Join the coordinated effort over at /r/ModCoord

• Make a sticky post showing your support, A template has been created here you can use or modify to your liking, and be sure to crosspost it to /r/ModCoord.

Thank you for your patience in the matter,

-Mod Team

I'll give you this: unlike other religious and uber-partisan sites, you did not ban me when I criticized you for your inconsistent behavior regarding the worse among you. Although in obvious conflict with most of what you profess, you gave me the opportunity to speak my mind.

All that would be well and good, except...

We all know there are charlatans among your flock; too many to ignore. Under your banner and cross these hate mongers spread their filth- tell the most outrageous lies and use their recognized platform to pander to the dullards and racists -- and seek mostly to contribute to the division between us.

These collection plate-passers take in millions of dollars from those duped, those who seek validation for their prejudices and those who struggle to hide their own secret sexual proclivities behind the thin veneer of religiosity.

Religion is a one-way street without off ramps and stop signs; as officials, if you deny one of the rules you are living in denial of all the rules, and to ignore evil is to be complicit in it.

“The LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people.” (1 Samuel 13:14)

Here, Samuel the prophet tells King Saul that Yahweh plans to supplant him with a better king—one who is after His (God’s) own heart. Enter King David. What aspects of David’s life made him deserve this praise, and can we copy those aspects today?

More context from our passage helps answer the first question. “And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God” (1 Samuel 13:13). If Saul did not keep the Lord’s commandments, then his replacement, David, did keep them. Thus, those who keep His commandments—doing whatever He says to do—characterize those who are “after his own heart.”

And David did just that, at times. For example, “then David enquired of the LORD yet again. And the LORD answered him and said, Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand. So David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and smote them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah” (1 Samuel 23:4-5).

David asked what the Lord wanted. The Lord answered. Then David did just what the Lord said, even when his men were “afraid” (1 Samuel 23:3). David feared God more than the daunting circumstances. And the result? David, led by Yahweh, saved a city.

David later lapsed in his pursuit of hearing and obeying his Lord. But like us, when he did listen and obey, he was “a man after [God’s] own heart.” Will I do today just what the Lord says? BT

https://www.icr.org/article/14063/?utm_source=phplist10636&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=June+3+-+After+His+Own+Heart

So the great commission from Jesus was to go out and baptize people in the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit. But then I get to Acts 2:38 and Peter tells people to be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins. Which way is the proper way to be baptized?

A friend and I are making a video called "How to go to heaven" and we've been studying deeper on this simple topic of 'how to go to heaven'.

I recently met someone who says baptism isn't required because of John 3:16 and similar verses. I am happy to hear other perspectives, especially before we release the video. For now, scripture tells me to be baptized to go to heaven, IF we are able and IF we are aware of it. It is the rule, but there are exceptions, like the thief on the cross. (I believe someone who only knows a portion of The Gospel can still be saved. For example, they accept John 3:16 and live up to ALL the light they know, God sees their heart and they will have eternal life.)

Below is an explanation of why Baptism is necessary (When possible and when informed).

Is Calling On The Name Of The Lord Enough?

God wants us to be baptized, but some people say that all you need to do is believe on Jesus and then you will be saved, because Acts 22:21 says, “Whosoever shall all on The Name of The Lord shall be saved” or even the famous John 3:16!!!!!!

You Must Review Every Data

But! To have an accurate view on any topic, whether it be the Bible or something secular, you have to review all the data on a topic. If you stop at 90 percent you may miss out on data that could change everything.

For example, there are 3 leaves on the ground and we need to know how many hidden flowers are there. You flip the first leaf. No flower. You flip the 2nd. No flower. So, if we stop here, then our conclusion would be that there are no flowers. But until you exhaust all the data, you won’t know the full truth. When you flip the last leaf you'll find a flower! If we didn’t keep checking, we would have believed a lie because there was a flower. So in order to have a clear understanding of how to go to heaven we have to look at all the Bible verses regarding that topic.

Jesus Himself says in Mark 16:16 "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned."

Some say "Look, the 2nd half of the verse only says "he that believeth not will be damned". But that shouldn't negate the first half. The reason why believing on Jesus is emphasized more than any other step, is because it is the first step it, is the root of salvation. But repentance or baptism in it of itself does not save you. Baptism means nothing if you don’t first believe in Jesus because He is The One who paid our debt.

Acts 8:36-37 says, "Here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Then Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

You first need to believe in Jesus, before being baptized. So in Mark 16:16, unbelief in Jesus IS the root of not going to heaven. It does not need to say “he that believeth not AND is not baptized shall be damned”

John 3:18 says, "He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already"

You Need Accurate Context

For accurate research, you need accurate context.

The Bible says, “of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat”

According to what we just read, we can literally eat from every tree. BUT, when we read the next verse, it now has the opposite meaning.

Genesis 2:17, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it:"

Without true context, truth can be twisted. It’s like coming to a conclusion before someone finishes talking. You have to know the context. This concept even applies to the famous John 3:16, but first, let’s go back to Acts 2:21,

^(Acts 2:21,) "Peter said to them. Whosoever shall call on The Name of The Lord shall be saved."

The foundation of our salvation is based all on this. To believe on Jesus.

BUT, Peter wasn’t done preaching.

In the very same chapter Peter continues to preach.

^(Acts 22:37-38) "When they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? ^(38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins "

When reading in context, even the famous John 3:16 has baptism linked to salvation.

^(John 3:16) "For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

John 3:5 comes before John 3:16. And it says,

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of The Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

So when we read up to John 3:16, are we supposed to forget what He just said in verse 5?

Some people say to be born of the water is not baptism, but that it’s referring to being born from a human in a mothers womb.

Here’s why it IS baptism. John 1:12-13 says,

"^(12)As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His Name: ^(13)who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Verse 13 speaks of 2 births. One is born of God, which is a spiritual birth. And the other is the opposite of a spiritual birth. Which is a fleshly birth from your mothers womb. This fleshly birth is linked to humanity. Flesh and blood. Flesh and blood do not equate to being born of God. They instead, represent humanity. It’s nature is physical, not spiritual.

^(Matthew 16:17) "Jesus answered and said, Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven." Jesus is saying, man did not reveal this to you, but God did.

Again. Flesh and blood represents humanity.

Matthew 16 and John 1 shows:

"Flesh, blood, and Man" =/= God.

"Flesh, blood, and Man" = Man.

So if John 3:5 is about being born from the womb, shouldn’t it say, flesh and blood, or at least man?

"Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of The Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."

But it doesn’t. It says water.

When you pair John 3:5 with Mark 16:16, how can John 3:5 not be about baptism?

Mark 1:8 "I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost."

Mark 1 shows that there is a water baptism, and a spiritual baptism. This aligns with John 3:5, bringing the context of baptism into the picture.

​

What's So Special About Baptism?

God wants us to be baptized because it symbolizes our sins being washed away. When you go under water it is honoring His death in the grave, then when you come out it honors his resurrection. The old you dies, and the new you rises.

Colossians 2:12 says, "buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him."

Romans 6:4 "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Being baptism is a symbol of being born again. And Jesus was also baptized. And Jesus wants us to follow in His footsteps.

Christian organizations are calling on pastors across the country to stand up against the rise of Christian nationalism during their church services next weekend.

"Toxic Christian nationalism is the single biggest threat to both democracy and the church, and we pastors have a moral obligation to loudly oppose it as a dangerous hijacking of our faith," Reverend Nathan Empsall , Director of ‘Faithful America’ preached. "Unless we as Christians challenge this dangerous political ideology, its leaders will continue to twist our faith as they try to justify an agenda that is in actuality the antithesis of what Jesus taught: To love our neighbor and to care for the least among us.”

As reported in LGBQTNation, The "Preach and Pray to Confront Christian Nationalism" initiative is the latest event sponsored by Faithful America, an online community of progressive Christians that aim to combat the use of their faith being "hijacked" by the political right. The group recently protested a high-profile conservative speaker event in Miami, Florida, and has taken a public stand against several Republican politicians, including Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, who previously defended Christian nationalism, and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis’ own religious counselor, Tom Ascoll, of Grace Baptist Church, has preached the depravity of Leviticus by calling for the murder of gays.

(In that the Southern Baptist Convention has not condemned he and his words; one can only speculate they are in accord.)

White nationalism has been embraced by American fascists to appeal to the least among us. Street trash talking so-called pastors, hate-filled dullards so low on the social totem pole of polite society they will grasp at any message that makes them feel better about being the failures they’ve become, pandering politicians who are able stir up hatred among the loners and losers because of the prejudice and ignorance of the streets and back alleys, and hypocritical evangelicals who profess to love Jesus, but do the work of the devil, are all looking for validation of their hatred, and under the guise of patriotism spew their venom -- mostly for personal gain.

It been said, when tyranny comes it will be marching behind a cross.

Faithful America's newest initiative is aimed at taking a stand within the church, calling on pastors to "warn against effort to conflate Christian and American identities" while leading service on June 11.

What will your Priest, Pastor, or Reverend, have to say about the subject? Will the message be one of tolerance and love, or the gleeful acceptance of the sins of heresy and denial of true Christian belief?

While contemplating this, consider exactly which message you want to hear.

“And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” (Revelation 21:27)
God does keep books! In fact, when David was pondering the time between his own conception and birth, he said, “In thy book all my members were written, which in continuance [that is, as my days continued] were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16). It seems that God has a book for each person who is conceived and that all these together constitute the Book of Life, one great volume containing the names and deeds of every one who was ever given biological life by his Maker.
But many will reject (or simply ignore) God’s provision that would also give them eternal life. As David prayed in another psalm, “Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous” (Psalm 69:28). Note also Revelation 3:5 and 22:19. And that will be a fearful thing, for “whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:15).
Those whose names will not be blotted out of the book, of course, are those who have been redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:19). Not one person deserves to be retained in God’s book, for all have sinned, but they have “beheld,” with eyes of thankful faith, “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and have therefore been redeemed by the Lamb.
Finally, only these will still have their names written on the rolls of the heavenly city. God’s Book of Life will have become “the Lamb’s Book of Life” on which are written forever the names of all those redeemed by His blood. HMM
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My cousin posted on Facebook “happy pride month.” I put a sad face to the post because pride is the root of all sin and sodomy is a sin according to the word of God. She got mad at me for doing that and says that I shouldn’t Judge and that God won’t like that and that I am being a hypocrite because I am judging. Can you guys please help me on what to say to her and what Bible verses to say to her

Am I allowed to physically defend my children or their mother if someone is trying to harm them? I don't necessarily mean to kill anyone.

“Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.” (Zechariah 3:7)

In one vision given to Zechariah, Joshua the high priest is shown standing before the awesome throne in heaven. He is pictured as being clothed in filthy garments next to the angel who brought him. Satan was there with all his power, trying to resist everything Joshua was doing. Of course, the Lord was there too and rebuked Satan, calling Joshua “a brand plucked out of the fire” (Zechariah 3:2).

What follows in the vision is a beautiful picture of what God does for us when we are twice-born. The Lord commands the angels to “take away the filthy garments” because, He says, “I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.” The attendants quickly “set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments” (Zechariah 3:4-5).

When we are created by God as a “new man” while down here on Earth, the spirit is changed, along with a new heart and a new mind, but one day we will be clothed in fine linen that represents the righteousness of the saints (Revelation 19:8)—all given to us when we were made righteous by the marvelous grace of our Lord Jesus.

What Zechariah is shown about the Joshua of old is the vast promises of a close working relationship with the Creator Himself—judging His house, having charge of His courts, and being given “places to walk” among the great personages of the courts of heaven. This is a picture of what it means to be a twice-born child of God. At the most basic of biblical foundations, a Christian has been identified by the Creator as one He desires to spend eternity with! HMM III

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“Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:3-4)

It is a thrilling exercise to note all the holy and gracious attributes attached to the name of God by the writers of Holy Scripture. In our text, for example, taken from the song of Moses, God is called a “God of truth.” According to the prophet Isaiah, the Lord is a “God of judgment” (Isaiah 30:18).

David called God both the “God of my righteousness” and “the God of salvation” (Psalms 4:1; 68:20).

In the New Testament, Stephen called Him “the God of glory” (Acts 7:2). Paul called Him both “the God of hope” and “the God of patience and consolation” (Romans 15:5, 13) when he wrote to the persecuted believers in the great capital of the Roman Empire.

To the carnal Christians in Corinth, He was called “the God of all comfort” and “the God of love and peace” (2 Corinthians 1:3; 13:11), and to the suffering believers in Philippi, Paul identified Him as “the God of peace” (Philippians 4:9).

The apostle Peter called Him “the God of all grace” (1 Peter 5:10), and the writer of Hebrews recognized Him as both “God the judge of all” and “the God of peace” (Hebrews 12:23; 13:20).

Our God is, indeed, the God who is all in all to His people. He is the God of truth and righteousness, of peace and love, of patience and comfort, of hope and grace, glory, and salvation. “Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints” (Revelation 15:3). Is He, above all, “Lord of all” in us who know Him? HMM

https://www.icr.org/article/14046/?utm_source=phplist10629&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=May+31+-+All+in+All

“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” (Philippians 3:10)

Paul deeply desired to know Christ in an intimate fashion—to experience an even deeper relationship. In our text, he lists three things that will also be known if we know Christ.

The power of His resurrection: The victory of Christ over sin and death exhibited His great power. Paul not only longed for an ultimate resurrected body, “if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead” (v. 11), but he longed for the power over sin as well, “to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11).

The fellowship of His sufferings: Paul’s desire to know Christ was so great he was willing, if need be, to suffer as He suffered. And, indeed, Paul did suffer in many ways (as seen in 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 and elsewhere). “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” (1 Peter 2:21). “If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together” (Romans 8:17).

Being made conformable to His death: Paul was willing to die as Christ died and soon did die a martyr’s death, beheaded in a Roman prison. But that is not in view here. Rather, he wanted to be like Christ in His death, gaining complete victory over all sin. “For he that is dead is freed from sin” (Romans 6:7).

To know Christ in this way, to be conformed to Him as Paul desired, primarily demands developing the servant’s heart and selfless humility that took Christ to the cross (Philippians 2:5-8) to make it possible for us to know Him. JDM

https://www.icr.org/article/14045/?utm_source=phplist10628&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=May+30+-+That+I+May+Know+Him

“For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.” (Galatians 5:13)

Liberty has always been a cherished concept to Americans, ever since the patriotic call of Patrick Henry for liberty or death. It was also a burning issue with the Jews at the time of Christ, chafing under Roman rule as they were. Many early Christians were actually slaves or even in prison for their faith. All those in bondage have longed to be free, and wars and revolutions have been fought to gain their freedoms.

But the worst bondage of all is slavery to sin. No army can free a man from sin, and if he dies in sin, he will continue in bondage forever. Among the last words of the Bible are these: “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still” (Revelation 22:11).

It is only Christ who can set a sinner free. Christ died for our sins, and through faith in Him we receive full pardon and liberty. “Our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin....Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness” (Romans 6:6-7, 18).

There is no greater or truer freedom than freedom in Christ. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36). Because of Christ, the very creation itself, now groaning and travailing in pain under the curse of sin, one day soon “shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21).

In Christ we now have freedom to live unto righteousness. “Being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life” (Romans 6:22). HMM

https://www.icr.org/article/14044/?utm_source=phplist10627&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=May+29+-+Christian+Freedom

Should Elders have a program of ministerial mentorship and development for those who are seeking full-time ministry, or should the Elders sit back and watch the Individual seek ministry opportunities by themselves?

In other words, should a potential candidate be mentored in their local body, or left at arms reach until, somehow the elders feel all the qualifications have been met, and then mentorship and a program of ministerial development be installed?

“It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.” (2 Timothy 2:11-13)

This saying may have been a song or other memory device that Paul recommended as a summary of doctrine. It expresses important elements of saving faith. First, Christ’s vicarious death gives us eternal life in Him. We “who were dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1) have been created “in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24) and have “passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).

Second, standing with Christ in this life attests to our reigning with Him in the next. The “persecutions and tribulations that [we] endure” are a “manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that [we] may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which [we] also suffer” (2 Thessalonians 1:4-5).

Also, denying Christ in this life will ensure that He will deny us for eternity. “Whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 10:33). “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels” (Revelation 3:5).

Finally, even our unbelief will not affect Christ’s faithfulness. “For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). “Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever” (Psalm 119:160). “For I am the LORD, I change not” (Malachi 3:6).

May this faithful saying be your foundation in faith. It is a guide to salvation and an anchor for eternity. HMM III

https://www.icr.org/article/14043/?utm_source=phplist10626&utm_medium=email&utm_content=HTML&utm_campaign=May+28+-+The+Faithful+Saying

“But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.” (Psalm 115:3)

We often raise questions about God’s actions, but He is never obligated to explain to us His reasons. It is enough to know that it pleased Him, for whatever He does is right by definition.

For example, if someone asks why God created the universe, we must answer simply that it was for His “pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11). “Whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places” (Psalm 135:6). He does not have to give account to us, for we also were created at His pleasure.

And why did He allow His Son to suffer and die on the cross? Although “he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him” and to “make his soul an offering for sin,” knowing that eventually “the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand” (Isaiah 53:9-10).

We may never be able to understand why God has done this, especially for sinners such as us, but we don’t have to understand. “It pleased God...to save them that believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21), not them that understand.

We can be sure that God does have perfect reasons for everything He does, and perhaps we shall understand it all in eternity. In the meantime, we are simply (with Paul) to be thankful that “it pleased God, who...called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me” (Galatians 1:15-16). He has, in some way beyond comprehension, “predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will” (Ephesians 1:5), and that is enough to know for now. HMM

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I am currently and have always been a Baptist, but recently i’ve been discussing doctrine with a friend who is Lutheran and the necessity of Baptism and the Lords supper are a recurring theme because they view it as necessary for salvation. the issue is there are lots of scriptures that agree baptism is needed for grace, but even with those scriptures i still don’t follow, because anything done in addition to an acceptance by faith makes the faith weaker and the sacrifice of Jesus is suddenly not perfect if you have to do other stuff. i was wondering if there was any good scriptures or even good writings outside of the Bible that make a solid counter argument to the necessity of baptism?( other than Eph 2:8-9, as the whole by grace through faith thing is applied to their argument aswell)

“Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” (1 John 3:4)

The Bible warns that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and “the soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel 18:20). These are strange days, however, and there are many “that call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). Who is to say what is right and wrong, when even our U.S. Supreme Court implies that there are no absolutes?

God is the one who defines sin because it is He who will judge sin. The definition is multifaceted, for sin takes many forms. Most basically, as our text says, sin is the transgression of the law—not just certain laws but all of God’s law. “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).

But there must be more than just formal obedience to God’s commands, for “all unrighteousness is sin” (1 John 5:17). Furthermore, there are sins of omission as well as sins of commission. “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

When there is no specific law or command to guide our actions in a particular situation, the principle to follow is that of faith—that is, the confident inward assurance that we are doing that which honors the Lord, for “whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).

There is much more that could be noted, but it is clear that no one could ever measure up even to these demands, “for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). All of us deserve the wages of sin, “but God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Now “the righteousness of God without the law is manifested....Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ” (Romans 3:21-22). HMM

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