Im very sorry for asking here but i was told to come here by the visions
they told me to seek the answers
they wont give me back my family

answer expeditiously
God Bless

-Harold

Doesn't seem very all-loving to me.

Hello! New to christianity and i was talking to a buddy about sin. He was talking about how all sin is the same level of sin just different consequences except for the “unforgivable sin”; saying/believing god is not real. This doesn’t make sense to me because why try to convert atheists if they cant go to heaven? I understand wanting them to believe in god but if theres no way of them being forgiven, i don’t understand. Please let me know your input.

I hope this reaches the right audience. First I would like to say that I respect Christianity greatly. I believe that if followed correctly, it can truly transform peoples' lives for the better and can guide people to do the right thing, however obviously I don't believe that Jesus is god. Feel free to give me your favorite argument for why God exists(in the christian sense), but I have heard many and don't find any super convincing. Sure I think it's a possibility but I think there are a lot of equally likely possibilities regarding the truths of our universe. Anyway here is my main point: Many people say that nonbelievers going to hell that does not represent the cruelness/unforgivingness of God, because he cannot save those who do not want to be saved, but I find this argument to be a little weak. I do not believe in the christian God but if he is real, then by all means I have immense gratitude for him giving me the gift of life and I am sorry for any sins I have committed, but I am not making a conscious choice to reject the salvation offered to me by Jesus, as I do not control what I believe. I cannot suddenly just start believing in God. I will not live my life in full accordance to the bible nor will I try to. I believe that by trying to have morals there will be a lot of overlap between how I try to act and how the bible instructs me to act, but there will also be differences. Again, this is because I do not, and cannot bring myself to believe in God. So I guess my question is this: Assuming God is real, why does God not make his existence obvious? And assuming he has a good reason for doing this, why does he refuse to let those into heaven who did not believe he was real? Please don't just respond with pascal's wager because it is just not a good argument. Proof: If you don't mail me 10 dollars right now the whole world's gonna explode(Pascal's wager would tell you to send me the 10 dollars). Obviously believing in the bible is more realistic than believing that the world will explode if you don't send me 10 dollars but you get the point.

My understanding is that the layers of hell were just written about by Dante, and weren’t actually believed in. A friend recently described this as gospel, and that confused me.

On the day when Christ returns to Earth, what happens to me if I have not yet repented for all my sins? If i am not clean of all sin will he say “Depart from me, I never knew you?”

Hi. It's been around three months in to my journey in seeking Christ. I've been enduring these spiritual attacks, and it's only getting worse. Last night, Satan attacked me in my dreams, its not the first time he's infiltrated my dreams, however, last night I got a wet dream, it's only the second time having nocturnal emissions that I can remember. I know God reveals himself in dreams but this was clearly not from him.

Let me try and explain the dream, there was this police officer I think and he had detained these women at an airport, I cant remember why, and after he engaged in fornication with these women, however, the person in the dream didn't really feel like it was me, sort of like I was observing them, however the penetration was so real that I felt I was the one engaging in it. It was so satanic, it definitely had a demonic presence to it. I had no control over it whatsoever. By the time I realised, it was too late, I had already woken up and felt so defiled at what happened, I could feel the evil around me feeding of this, I told my wife and she said it was just a dream and not to dwell over it. I prayed for the Lord to help me, and to not let me fight these attacks alone. It clearly was a spiritual attack.

I've already given up masturation and pornography for a while and my wife and I are sexually active with each other. I pray daily and invite God to reveal himself to me in my dreams but usually get strange and disturbing dreams instead. Someone pls help me out.

Exactly what the title says.

I'm young, my parents, especially my mom are very religious, but I'm not. I used to be religious as well when I was about 6 or 7, but the older I got the further I started away from God. I don't even read my Bible or pray. Sometimes I decide to start acting Christian but then I give up and lost interest. How can I become more interested in God, I feel like I'm an awful person(I haven't done anything too bad though). I'm a kid so I have my whole life ahead of me, but I want to start changing now, please help me.

I (17M) am interested in a girl who is my age, and am pretty sure that she likes me, and I wouldn't not be attracted to her, since we seem to have tons of similarities, but I need to know her better before making any decisions. So I'm kind of just asking how I can engage or what topics I can talk to her about that won't be moving too fast or pushy, but enough to where I can get to know her better, and at the same time show interest and passion. Currently all I know about her is her hobbies, but for some reason I feel like I need to know more, when would it be right to make any decisions? Am I ready to say anything or am I just afraid?

Being a Christian atheist/skeptic, I don't think there actually will be an End Times, but that's beside the point. I know many Christians, who are friends and family, who believe that the earthquake and the eclipse are portents of the End. Is there ANY proof of that in the Bible?

So my parents are divorced and my sisters 19th birthday is coming up so that means all the child support, court orders etc gets reset. And my dad has been really degrading and sort of keeps me in the house as much as he can. He keeps me off of my phone to limit how much I talk to my own girlfriend. He takes things that I buy with my money for no reason, and overall sorta verbally abusive. Anyway, I really don’t know if I should try to drift away from him and stay with my mom for 2 weeks and 1 week with him other than 1 week with each parent. I’m really worried about it cause he’s my dad you know and I love him and I don’t want to hurt him and I can tell he loves me a lot. I’m just super confused and in between it all. Wondering what yall would do

Belief is a powerful thing, and humbly admitting you are weak in it is the type of humility that has prompted Jesus Christ to perform miracles in the past. It's a beautiful thing that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forevermore.

‭Mark 9:23-25

[23] And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.”

[24] Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

[25] When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of him and do not enter him again.”

What man cannot do, the Lord Jesus Christ can. When we say "all we can do now is pray," it's akin to setting the fuse on a nuclear bomb, but instead of reigning destruction, it reigns His Glory.

‭Mark 9:29 [29] And He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything but prayer.”

We set His divine timing into motion through prayer, by putting it in the Lord's hands, and through His sovereignty He can do anything should it be His will.

‭1 John 5:14 [14] This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.

So how can our prayers always be answered? By praying in accordance and for His will in the name of Jesus Christ, to the Glory of our Father. The Lord's will will always reign supreme. Never bet against Jesus Christ, and our Father's gift of the Holy Spirit within you.

The Collect

We thank you, heavenly Father, that you have delivered us from the dominion of sin and death and brought us into the kingdom of your Son; and we pray that, as by his death he has recalled us to life, so by his love he may raise us to eternal joys; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Readings:

Acts 4:13–21
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts+4%3A13%E2%80%9321&version=KJV

Psalm 118:14–18
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+118%3A14%E2%80%9318+&version=KJV

Gospel: Mark 16:9–15, 20

9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

10 And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept.

11 And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.

12 After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country.

13 And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.

14 Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.

15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.

Commentary**:**

Preface to Mark 16:9–15, 20 [1]

“Our text comes from “The Longer Ending” of the Gospel of Mark. A shorter version, “The Shorter Ending,” is as follows: “But all that they had been told they reported briefly to those with Peter. But after these things, even Jesus himself sent out by means of them, from east to west, the sacred and imperishable proclamation of eternal salvation” (Evans).

‘Scholars tend to agree that Mark concluded his Gospel with verse 8—perhaps unintentionally. He may have intended to add an account of the resurrection and ascension, but wasn’t able to do it—or the original ending could have been lost. Scholars believe that people, identity unknown, added the Longer and Shorter Endings long after the Gospel was written—because those people felt that verse 8, which focuses on the terror and fear of the disciples and fails to mention the resurrection, could not possibly constitute a proper ending for a Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

“The reasons for believing that verses 9-20 were added later include the following:

​

1. Verses 9-20 aren’t found in the oldest (and presumably most reliable) manuscripts.
2. They weren’t known to the earliest church fathers.
3. They include a large number of words not found in Mark 1:1—16:8, and are stylistically different as well.
4. They appear to be derivative—based on passages from Matthew, Luke, John, and Acts. Mark was the earliest Gospel, written before any of those four books. If it is true that Mark 16:9-20 reflects knowledge of those books, this Longer Ending would have had to be added long after Mark 1:1—16:8 was written.

“The signs mentioned in Mark 16:17-18, with the exception of drinking deadly substances, appear to be derived from various stories in the book of Acts. Acts 16 tells of Paul exorcising a demon. Acts 2 tells of disciples speaking in new languages. Acts 28:1-6 tells of Paul being bitten by a poisonous serpent with no ill effects. Saul’s eyesight was restored by the laying on of hands in Acts 9:12, 17-18.”

“The first question, then, is whether verses 9-20 were part of the original text or were added later. If we determine that they were added later, the second question is whether we should regard these verses as authoritative.”

‘Christians have taken various approaches to that second question. Most modern translations of the bible make some attempt to acknowledge the problem. The NRSV, for instance, includes both the Shorter and the Longer Endings, and has a lengthy footnote that explains the problem. I suspect that most Protestants avoid preaching on these verses. However, the Council of Trent (1546) included these verses in the Catholic canon, and the Roman Catholic lectionary for Ascension is based on verses 15-20.”

“Some commentaries conclude their verse-by-verse treatment with verse 8. Typically, they include a lengthy piece that outlines the questions about the Shorter and Longer Endings, but don’t try to explain the meaning of those verses. Some commentaries—usually conservative in their approach—did treat verses 9-20.”

The argument for including Mark 16:9-20 in our Bibles.[2]

​

• Many very early Christian writers refer to this passage in their writings. This shows that the early Christians knew about this passage in the Gospel of Mark and accepted it as genuine.
• Papias refers to Mark 16:18. He wrote around A.D. 100.
• Justin Martyr’s first Apology quoted Mark 16:20 (A.D. 151).
• Irenaus in Against Heresies quoted Mark 16:13 and remarked on it (A.D. 180).
• Hippolytus in Peri Charismaton quoted Mark 16:18 and 19. In his homily on the heresy of Noetus, he refers to Mark 16:19. He wrote while he was Bishop of Portus (A.D. 190-227).
• Vicentius, Bishop of Thibari, quoted from 2 of the verses in the 7th Council of Carthage held under Cyprian (A.D. 256). Augustine, a century and a half later, in his reply, recited the words again.
• The apocryphal Acts of Pilate contains Mark 16:15-18 (thought to be written in the somewhere around A.D. 200).
• The Apostolic Constitutions clearly allude to 16:15 in two places and quote Mark 16:16 outright (thought to be written somewhere in the late third century or the early fourth century).

The overwhelming majority of ancient manuscripts do include this passage.

It is highly unlikely that the Gospel of Mark ended so abruptly at Mark 16:8, with the women simply being afraid but seeing no concrete evidence of the resurrected Jesus, only of an empty tomb. However, it is possible that the original ending of Mark’s gospel was lost rather early.

Noted Greek scholar A.T. Robertson wrote, “It is difficult to believe that Mark ended his Gospel with verse 8 unless he was interrupted. A leaf or column may have been torn off at the end of the papyrus roll.”

But importantly, the earliest testimony we presently have, from writers like Irenaeus and others, argues that the earliest Christians accepted Mark 16:9-20 as genuine.[2]

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.” (vs. 9-12)

“Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week” Although Mosaic Law demands a strict observance of the Sabbath (Saturday) Christianity has chosen to observe the “Sabbath” on Sunday, in light of the fact that the Gospels tell us Jesus rose up from the tomb on the first day of the week.

“he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.” Mary’s dramatic meeting with Jesus (whom she first supposed to be the gardener) is described more fully in John 20:11-18. Mark use of the phrase “out of whom he had cast seven devils” should not be misconstrued as an insult or slight to Mary, but rather as a simple way to distinguish her from the many other “Marys”

“And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not.”

“They could not give credit to the report she brought them. They heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her. The story was plausible enough, and yet they believed not. They would not say that she made the story herself, or designed to deceive them; but they fear that she is imposed upon, and that it was but a fancy that she saw him. Had they believed the frequent predictions of it from his own mouth, they would not have been now so incredulous of the report of it.” (Henry)

“After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them.” This remarkable encounter with the risen Jesus is described more fully in Luke 24:13-27. The eyewitness accounts offered by these two from Emmaus, was still yet not enough to convince the disicples.

“Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.” (v. 14)

“and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart” They could have done better. They did not understand, but they could not escape responsibility.

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (v. 15)

This was a command, not a suggestion.

“Interest in missions is not an elective in God’s university of grace. It is something in which every disciple is expected to major.” (Ironside)

The idea of a faith that should go into all the world wasn’t a part of the Jewish thinking in the days of Jesus. It wasn’t part of the pagan thinking either. It was a revolutionary idea in its time. This command was not obeyed immediately; for many years, the disciples stayed at Jerusalem, and it was only until the church was persecuted that it began to spread out to the world. But it did spread and continues to.

“And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.” (v. 20)

[1] Preface by Richard Niell Donovan

[2] The argument for including Mark 16:9-20 in our Bibles, by David Guzik

Benediction

We thank you, loving God, that we have gathered in your presence and shared in worship. Now may we go forth into the world, confident that we are your children, knowing that you have called us by name. In our daily life, may we align ourselves to your will, seeking direction to follow the plans you have for us which give us a hope and a future in Jesus Christ, and may we have patience in the waiting. In the challenges and joys we face, may we be assured that we do not face them alone. Let us go in peace, hope and love, in the name of our compassionate and powerful God the Son our Savior, and the comforting Holy Spirit. Amen.

Whether there’s any truth to the claims or not, how can I believe in God and follow Him genuinely? I feel like I always tell myself I believe in God, but deep down, I feel like I don’t believe in Him, and whether the eclipse will be the end or not, I still think I need to believe in Him more than ever. How do people just believe in Him? Is there something I have to do that will just make me really believe in Him? And also, how do I not view it as a way to get saved from Hell, but rather as a way to pay respects to our Creator?