Sounds like the government is complicit, and arming the herdsmen. I didn't know that.

Seems to me that when it comes to the kids, it's more of a fad, born out of the sodomite, progressive liberal agenda of confusion, which includes their own irresponsible parents. I think, sooner than later, many, once they mature, are gonna ask themselves, "What have I done?", and then what...severe depression? Suicide?

The very people who say they're all about the children, protecting them, claiming to be their advocates, and doing what's best for them, are the ones also responsible for all of the gender remourse suicides, as well as the ones to come.

One jeered, "It's 2019!"

Another shouted, "Nobody wants to hear you, give the mic back!"

"Separation of church and state!" an O'Rourke supporter said.

"Shut up! And go to church!" shouted another.

...the former congressman later said "my bad for giving the mic out."

The response that sticks out to me is: "Its 2019!", which really wraps up where this nation is, as the next generation has evolved beyond any need for some God. God is dead, God who? Genocide against The Living God, and the wildly successful agenda of those who hate Him, to erase Him from the minds of the next generation. The God of the Bible has become the butt of uncensored jokes, and the mere mention of sin gets laughed off and scoffed at as some antiquated notion, reserved for this nation's remnant of crazies.

I'd like to get more involved in many conversations, but my free-time is always so very limited. I really hate it when I get involved, and then can't follow-up, so that's always my conundrum. I think it often appears as if I just don't feel like discussing something any longer, and just drop off, when the fact is that I have near zero free-time to do the discussional research that I'd much rather be doing. I always hesitate saying anything at all, because I never know how far I can go with any discussion.

Anyway John, yes, I'm interested, but will let you know if time will even allow or not. I was hoping to just read along with you and Mike, or whoever.

I'm surprised that, "whoever shall live by the sword, shall die by the sword", along with Christ's response to Peter in Matthew 16:23, "...get thee behind me, Satan...", is being used by yourself and BM as prooftexts against situational self-defense. The context is about defending Christ, and hindering Christ's sacrifice.

John 18:11 adds to the command to put the sword into its sheath the words, “The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?” an echo of the prayer that was uttered before in the hour of His agony. The words that Matthew gives are obviously not a general rule declaring the unlawfulness of all conflict, offensive or defensive, but are limited in their range by the occasion, situational self-defense. Resistance at that time would have involved certain death, and it would have been fighting not for God, but against Him, and against the fulfilment of His purpose.

I think it's natural to see a warning from those words that's applicable to all occasions, but in whatever other cause it may be lawful to use weapons; self-defense, it's not wise or right to draw the sword for Christ and His Truth, or in all situations.

Every commentary I've read agrees with this context.

Take a look at the reflection you see as you bend over, and gaze into one of the mud puddles outside your cave...that's a vegetable.

Hey Frank, yeah, it sure is amazing what these people can get away with doing and saying. Many of them cross over into the outrageous, and like you said, it's amazing how gullible people are. Seems to me that the draw is the emotionalism, along with the showmanship aspect. Who can be the most raw, the most outrageous, claim the most new revelations, be the most convincing, and read people well enough to know who will fall for their nonsense when called up to the stage for a healing, or to be "slain in the spirit", etc.

Tragic stuff, Frank, and no different than Roman Catholics placing their eternal fate in the hands of a mere man; the Pope. These people don't seem to care what God has to say about anything, either.

Woe to the deceivers, but woe to those who follow, and keep them in business as well.

Hey John,

I'm not. People often comment that their hope is for The Lord to come quickly. I'm guessing this won't go over all that well, but my hope is the He continues on in His patience, and tarries.

The way I see it is that the longer He tarries, 1) the more people are saved, and, 2) this may seem a bit selfish, but I want as much more time as possible to do all that I can possibly do, for Him, and to also grow and improve.

Good morning John, every single event that we can conjure up, as being of The Lord, and attributing it as emanating from The Lord, makes me cringe, when I think of all that choice of wording can encompass.

Do you think, "allowed by The Lord", would be a much better fit, as opposed to how I'm receiving your phrasing...conjured up, set in motion, and caused by {The Lord}?

Maybe this is what you mean by, "of The Lord"?

As an example, Satan needs permission for his more severe of schemes against the saints, so the dark things that Satan is allowed to get away with, don't emanate from God, they originate with Satan, and are merely permissible, as God's sees fit, to test, to teach, to correct, or to punish, etc.

God allows the evil in this fallen world, for now, but the evil that mankind perpetrates is hardly the result of God planning out their crimes, and making sure they get carried out.

I'm thinking this is what you meant by, "of The Lord", but the phrasing is mis-leading, to me anyway.

Charlatan, is right, Fred, and Whenever I see this guy's name, the granny kick is what comes to mind. I'm sure this guy's wickedness is known to more than an inside few, but the cold, hard cash coming in seems to be what these ministrys are really all about.

A couple of years ago, he put a blast out on social media, asking his followers to drop some cash into his wife's PayPal account for her birthday..."$10-20/ea, so she can get her hair and nails done", etc.

Sounds like a wise man, John. I normally won't even say, Baptist any longer, because I think it's just natural for anyone to think that means I'm all in, on every single thing, believed and taught. Also, it's not easy when there have been so many issues within the denomination(s).

Right you are. "Christian" is a generic word these days, and an umbrella term, to the world, that encompasses anyone who claims to believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Tell someone you're a Christian, and that can mean anything from being Roman Catholic, to Mormon, and all kinds of false religions and cults, in-between. When it comes to who I align myself with, as far as a denomination, if asked, or my religion, my answer has become, "I'm a follower of Christ".

Agreed US, and you should be commended once again for remaining even-tempered, and respectful, throughout. Always a good example.

Speaking of examples...the one curiosity I've had is why not a single one of any of the hypothetical, but real world examples we've posed over the course of time, have gone fully unanswered. They're called, strawmen, as if they're trick questions to mis-lead and dismissed, when they're highly relevant, and necessary, in order to nail down a true position.

The questions should have been very easy to answer, and all with a resounding, "no", if the position being argued was being argued with well thought out, sincerity and certainty.

The goal for the examples posed, for me anyway, was to prove that there isn't one all-encompassing solution for every scenario that life can throw at us, and that anyone who answers all with a resounding, "no", deceives themselves, believing they foreknow the action they would, or wouldn't take in the face of extreme, pulse-pounding danger.

"Time for some real talk... I'm genuinely losing my faith.. and it doesn't bother me... like, what bothers me now is nothing... I am so happy now, so at peace with the world.. it's crazy / this is a soapbox moment..."

"How many miracles happen. Not many. No one talks about it. Why is the Bible full of contradictions? No one talks about it. How can God be love yet send 4 billion people to a place, all coz they don't believe? No one talks about it."

He continued: "I want genuine truth. Not the 'I just believe it' kind of truth. Science keeps piercing the truth of every religion," he writes.

"Lots of things help people change their lives, not just one version of God..."

Hmmm. Tragic. The part that really caught my eye was: "I'm genuinely losing my faith.. and it doesn't bother me... like, what bothers me now is nothing... I am so happy now, so at peace with the world.. it's crazy."

Why? Marty Sampson has set himself free from the constraints of sin. Marty has renounced God, and no longer has any responsibility to Him. Marty has been set free from any fear of judgement, because Marty has made a decision...God is a fraud, and if there's no God, Marty is no longer in bondage.

Valid point, Mike. The ultra sneaky, biased, and corrupt, mainstream media outlets, set this nations temperature, and false perceptions, based upon lies, half-truths, and/or, gross exaggerations to further liberal agendas.

There are more than just a few prosperity preachers, fleecing their congregants in Nigeria. The get rich quick, prosperity gospel, is huge business in Nigeria, and where did they get their inspiration from? America. These charlatans take 10% of everything for themselves, living very lavishly off of their false promises, and using God Almighty as their get rich quick tool. Woe to them all for using God as a prop in their devilish scheme, and for duping the ignorant into believing they are without faith if they don't fork over all they don't even have.

Good John, I'm glad. The more we challenge ourselves, and the more introspective we are, while trying to see ourselves in the 3rd person, boy, oh boy...if we're being perfectly honest with ourselves, we'll begin finding junk we never even realized was there, and we'll keep finding it.

Problem is that too many are so busy pointing out everyone's else's shortcomings, that they fail to see much of their own. Sure, they might notice some surface junk, but rarely dig deep enough to find all of the little odds and ends that all just have to go if we are on a true quest to emulate Him.

I was one of these, being completely blind to some things until just a few years ago. I saw slivers of this and that, but once The Holy Spirit began opening my eyes...POW...the ugliness I began to see was like a punch in the face. I was embarassed, and just couldn't believe I had been so blind to some things.

You sure got that right, John. Just when we think we might have something nailed down, we see another area that needs some help, and then, we see more, and more, and more. Becoming like Him, or trying our best to, anyway, is a lifetime struggle, because if we're being completely honest with ourselves, and always digging around deep within, searching for junk, the honest will come to realize that it's a bottomless pit of junk that will need constant, daily attention, until these old, decrepit bodys are finally shed.

Sometimes we will find junk all on our own, and sometimes we'll need the benefit of the insight of others to find junk that our eyes aren't catching. Brothers and sisters in Christ should be working together, as one unit, to get sharp, and stay sharp.

Emulating Him, is to crucify this flesh, daily, and among other things, paying attention, the best we can, to every word, thought, and deed, to make sure we're in-line with scripture, with His will, and steadily growing throughout life, instead of remaining stagnant.