1517 wrote:
NeedHim,
Thanks for the quotes.

Respectfully, I cannot say the same thing when Calvinism goes too far and becomes a sacred exclusive cult of those imagining they have special knowledge better than the Faith once delivered to the saints, Jude by the Spirit speaks of.

And let's never forget the true Grace of God that shows to us, reveals to us, convicts us of the Reality of Jesus and Him crucified for us, 'who deserve to die,' for our sins.

NeedHim wrote:
Spurgeon; George Whitfield said, “We are all born Arminians.” It is grace that turns us into Calvinists.

I would humbly plead with you that a man needs neither to be an Arminian NOR a Calvinist to know, love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ; that man needs a testimony of the New Birth and the filling of the Holy Spirit, to be taught of and by God and to live for Him who died and rose again on our behalf ..... So if one's Calvinism or Arminianism doesn't point him to this kind of faith, there is a problem, a big, big, problem.

Christopher000 wrote:
Well, thanks Michael. Wasn't sure it would make clear sense to anyone but myself.
Not an easy topic, for sure.

In my observation the handling of this rightly or wrongly goes in two different paths
1. Converting someone to faith in Jesus Christ, to love Him and be His disciple.
2. Converting someone to their personal cherished version of Calvinism

Thus George Whitefield, C.H. Spurgeon and others like them prayed, labored, preached, sometimes with people not quite Calvinists at all, to bring men to Jesus Christ
Others only to bring them into a cult of
Calvinism

Christopher000 wrote:
...door to the eternity that they, themselves chose.
I don't know if this makes the sense it should...its pretty early and I'm still a bit foggy. I'm probably the new forum heretic now...ha-ha.

IMHO people warp themselves and often end up divisive and causing trouble when they extract election and predestination from the context of the whole of the Word of God, especially when they abuse these wonderful doctrines to expel human responsibility, and the sovereign drawing of a person to seek after God, something sinners will not do on their lonesome.

Watcher wrote:
Dave, lease understand, I believe in predestination to heaven.
I believe in predestination to hell.
You have not provided me one verse to prove your point (regarding the refuting of God predestining people to hell).
Why not?

Further totally unable to feel any conviction of right and wrong, justice, love, and the guilt of sin?

Now while God is completely sovereign in and over all things, your statements IMHO are enormously lacking and misleading because God repeatedly shows He doesn't act and JUDGE ARBITRARILY but for and with reason, and all the facts and according to His nature and righteousness in His dealings with men both for those He redeems and for those He rightfully condemns

Will not the Judge of the Whole Earth do right? Yes of course!

Dr. Tim wrote:
These clowns got off a perfectly good train because someone was quoting scripture? Sounds like the real nutters were the melting snowflakes who can't bear even a smidgen of truth.

Chris G P
It seems we are rushing into the day when any kind of Evangelism will be viewed as an evil act of terrorism, sedition, whatever ... even up to being punished by imprisonment, seizure of property, torture (especially to betray other Christians) and death.

I don't know about you all but I do think this is a time when born-again, Spirit-filled Christians need to develop a holy, sanctified sense of humor to absolute refuse to throw any "nutter" under the bus (or train in this case) whether they are soberly sane in their faith of even a bit off - and in a good way make fun of, as Dr. Tim used the word, "Snowflakes" both on the train, in the media, behind apostate and cowardly pulpits, and in government and the courts.

Unprofitable Servant wrote:
Thoughts and prayers for those affected by senseless tragedy in Las Vegas
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lasvegas-shooting/gunman-kills-at-least-50-wounds-200-in-las-vegas-concert-attack-idUSKCN1C70FU

IMHO one of the things we so need to pray for ourselves and others is to have a God-fearing AWAKENING in an understanding of the Righteous Wrath of God against all sin and evil and the immeasurable worth He has put on people made in His image and likeness - that leads people to a real serious REPENTANCE of how grieveously we've sinned against our Lord and Savior, for the saints REVIVAL, for the lost a REPENTANCE UNTO SALVATION

penned wrote:
wonder how russell moore and the cultural marxists that call themselves Christians are going to handle the satanists attempting to force Christian bakers to make a cake to s@t@n.

Christopher000 wrote:
Key word..."uploaded". This disgusting creep isn't only viewing, he is trading, and/or, creating for His deviant buddies across the world, or maybe even restricted to his church buddies though a private Dropbox, Google Drive, etc., link.
Interesting how it is that even though their club has been exposed, crimes of massive proportions perpetrated and prosecuted, along the fact that it all continues, the church seems to have fully recovered. The initial outrage seems to have waned and any new crimes exposed seem to be looked upon as, "Eh, whatever, this is getting old...whatever, moving on".
Well, tell that to the damaged, abused, frightened children, and their immediate familys.

1517 wrote:
Not true Jim, that perspective is from the lawyer of the ex husband. The bigger issue is the extreme double standard established here. On one hand the state says murdering a baby in utero is a choice while a mere vaccine is of the upmost importance to the point of threatening jail time for resisting.

Dr. Tim wrote:
Another Michael, you are absolutely right that Christians must be about our Father's business in the matter of spreading the gospel, and this I do on a regular basis. I simply have no patience for "preachers" whose only message is one of social betterment (Jackson) or financial prosperity (Osteen). While the world literally goes to hell, these apostles of Satan water down the message and attempt to offer a crown without a cross. I am so unlike my Savior in many ways that I blush to think of my sinfulness, but I do share to some degree His compassion for sinners and His contempt for self-serving religious "leaders." By the way, please pray for me as I preach to the down and out in the hope of seeing them up and in. Thank you.

Dr. Tim wrote:
Jesse Jackson praised Hefner for his support of the civil rights movement. Meanwhile, I suppose he would say that Adolph Hitler exerted a powerful positive influence on window installers. "Rev." Jackson is a one-trick pony who would say anything for a headline and a dollar.

And along with that:
"Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked."
Proverbs 25:26

IMHO
It is high time for a real repentance among every born again child of God, to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, to be seriously about the Great Commission with much fervent intercessory prayer ... especially considering judgment must begin with the house of God, NOT the Playboy Mansion

If anything we ought to cry out to God to supernaturally empower us to where we refuse to let "bunny people" go into the eternal hell, unloved, unprayed for, unwarned, and untold of the Gospel of Christ.

Dave wrote:
What's worse?
The fact he died and knew not Christ,
Or that he helped generations of men to disrespect women, treat them like meat and an avenue for countless men's perversion to be satisfied?
There but by the Grace of YHWH go I.

I do like the comment in the article:
"The sign of the good life is not hedonism but crucifixion. The sign of the good life is not a bunny but a cross."

I don't know about OZ but in the U.S. we have certainly twisted/perverted what genuine Christianity is all about, AND IMHO far too many in our modern churches who would never touch a Playboy Magazine with a 10 foot (3.5 meter?) pole nevertheless abuse the grace of God to consume all sorts of the good things and riches of this world upon themselves ... bigger house, fine car, fine clothes food, prestigious university educations, popularity with the world, fantastic vacations of easy luxury and excitements, the American Dream

Christopher000 wrote:
Sorry, final question which I meant to include earlier: In your biblically based opinion, and for the reasons already covered, say divorce becomes inevitable, and ultimately happens...adultery if one were to remarry at some point?

In my understanding of His Word;
Remarriage, "afterwards" when all the sin, garbage, ones own contribution to the mess is put behind and under the blood and the wounded brother or sister is on their feet again in the faith, serving God, Then only in the Lord, with a committed believing born again sister whose heart is to serve Jesus Christ with and in being a helpmate to her husband ... would not be adultery; and actually honor the mercy and grace of God, and please Him for all the good two God-fearing spouses would bring to each other and His kingdom and family

penned wrote:
as to living with an unbelieving spouse.... would be glad to hear the gentlemen assist on this matter...

the goal would be to win the unsaved spouse to Christ and to be an example before them.
and it is no less a marriage just because

First and foremost with an unbelieving spouse we ought to seek for, and do all we might rightfully do, that God would save them.

And by the grace and in the mercy of God, we ought to so love them that we refuse to see them go into hell, unloved, unprayed for, untold of Jesus Christ, unwarned of the wrath to come so if they go, may it be over our bodies with our arms wrapped around their legs; but if they are that deliberately determined to despise the love, the mercy and the grace of God then leave them in the hands of God, and go on and give your efforts to God in what will bear fruit.

Christopher000 wrote:
Thoughts please:

Here are some more thoughts BECAUSE what you asked thoughts on stretches so deep into so many areas of Reality

It touches on
Biblical Manhood and Biblical Womanhood
Ryan Fullerton has an excellent series on this

pt 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq3T9-gYunc
pt 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVameWAyMvk

he mentions in the second, the song:
Speak O Lord

pt 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgdhqfnF3GE

It touches on the Intense Spiritual War we are in right now
Depraved New World - Phil Fernandes
(The Impact of Darwinian Evolution on Society)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG0wn4iHxXY

Christopher000 wrote:
Thoughts please:

So, how does the unbeliever making it hell on earth apply? technically they 'consent' but are certainly not pleased to - such a case needs wisdom. Some in the never divorce (or worse 'you must divorce your remarriage') would condemn a believer who divorces them ... perhaps in such a case a believer needs to give an ultimatum live peaceably (I want this marriage to be a good one and work) or leave and if you don't I'm filing for divorce (have a real good divorce attorney/counsel lined who knows the laws and is committed to defending the wronged spouse)

some things others have noted might bear here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVXJj80LNhg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RycRQCSTk48

http://bbfohio.com/doctrineofdevils/

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-statement-on-divorce-remarriage-in-the-life-of-bethlehem-baptist-church

Country Boy wrote:
Please pray that Moore would win. It is something my church and family has prayed for, for a long time.

Our churches, our country and a lost and dying world on the brink of Woe so needs more of you all both in the North and the South, the East and the West.

1517 wrote:
Clarification:
I am not advocating for non involvement, for each man has his calling, even in politics. But, when politics becomes the object of hope and devotion, as if life depends on ONE person being elected, then the soldier is getting involved with civilian affairs (see 2 Tim 2:4).

1517 wrote:
This runoff and the election in Georgia earlier this year is indicative of how much emphasis and devotion, right or left, Christian or Secularist, has been placed on the Golden Calf that is Politics.

We are NOT Given FAITH to bury it in the dirt where nobody will see it and steal it from us, but so much rather to take the Treasure God has entrusted to us and preach Jesus Christ as Lord, His Love and His hatred of sin and evil; And the Gospel of His Kingdom, His rule, His reign, what is right in His sight to all the world and into every dark place, even the darkest of places like Politics and Abortion.