What Makes Jesus Unique? No one else made the claims that He did, He is alive...............



All the great religious leaders of history have one thing in common: they are dead. Only one man has risen from a grave never again to taste death. Jesus Christ died, was buried, remained in the grave for 3 days, then was raised to life again.

Jesus is unique. He is the only one proven to be the Son of God because God validated His Kingship and accepted His payment for our sins all with one incredible stroke: He raised Jesus from the dead!

Paul opens his letter to the Romans with this evidence about who Jesus is:
Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, which He had promised before by His prophets in the holy scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead. Romans 1:1-4

Because Jesus Christ is very much alive, five things are true right now that wouldn’t be true if He were just another dead religious leader like Confucius, Mohammed or Buddha.

Because Jesus was raised from the dead and is alive…Prayers are answered, We can talk to Jesus 24/7

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My grandmother was a Chinese Buddhist who attended temple regularly. I never went with her and I know in my bones this is an essential part of my Chinese heritage that I’ve missed out on. And as a young adult, a harrowing tragedy made me see up close what I was missing.

When Niall and I were in our 20s, his sister Eugenie died at age 25. Fresh out of university and exploring South America for the first time, she was killed in a horrifying bus accident in Bolivia when her tourist bus plunged off a cliff notorious for its peril. (You can still read the story in the Irish Times.) Niall and I traveled to his family home in Donegal for the funeral. One of his aunts, his siblings and a few of Eugenie’s friends and I were sitting in the living room warmed by a coal fire, curtains pulled tight, saying the Rosary. I could not take part in this other than bowing my head with my eyes shut, not knowing even one word of the Hail Mary prayer.

Later at Eugenie’s funeral mass, everyone knew the rituals: when to kneel, when to make the sign of the cross, their voices chanting in unison at the right times as the mass marched on. Everyone knew the ins and outs as well as they knew the contours of their own faces in the mirror. And I was stirred by this, and I was a long way from being a parent at that point, but I knew that this sense of belonging, this sense of ritual and knowing what comes next, and cultural and spiritual togetherness was what I wanted for my child.

In my own parenting circles, religion is something we rarely speak about. We are a religiously diverse and mostly non-practicing group. If I take this one step further and am honest with myself, my crowd of secular urban friends and acquaintances can be silently judgy on the matter. I remember a brunch with friends where I was explaining why Cillian was getting baptized in Ireland, something I thought would be nice for his grandmother to celebrate at her parish. I was met with mostly gentle nods and affirmations, except for one acquaintance, who served me silence and an arched eyebrow worthy of Downton Abbey’s Lady Mary as I told the story.
Questions about faith
How do we know there is a God?
The truthful answer is that we cannot know for certain. We cannot prove the existence of God, but there are many reasons why belief in God is reasonable. The first is that nothing science has discovered explains the existence of the universe.
Yet the universe has a beauty and an order that suggest a rational mind lies behind it all. Just as the existence of the computer demonstrates that there is someone who invented it, so the world in all its beautiful complexity points to the existence of a Creator, God.

A second reason is that within the heart of man there is a capacity to love and a desire to be loved. Christians point to that and say it indicates that there is a power of love in the world, which many people call God.

Another reason is that in every part of the world today and throughout history, men and women have always believed in and worshipped God. Some people have said that in every person there is a “God-shaped hole” that only God can fill. The existence of that desire to pray and to believe and talk with God is one argument for God’s existence. There are lots more reasons why people believe in God. Have you ever asked yourself whether God is real to you?
.........................teddybear
How did the Universe really begin?
How you answer that question might depend on who you ask. An astrophysicist might reply that the universe began several thousand million years ago as a gigantic nuclear explosion. A theologian might reply that God created the world - but might be concerned to speaking more about why God created the world than how God created the world.

The ‘why’ question is perhaps more important as it asks us to think about the purpose and meaning of creation. As far as the origin of the world is concerned, the Bible simply says that God created it (Genesis 1:1, John 1:3, Hebrews 11:3).
Not all Christians agree on the origin of life. Most however believe that it is best explained by some form of evolutionary theory and they believe that this evolutionary process has been sustained by God and used by him.
The Book of Genesis declares creation to be good and says that God was satisfied and pleased with his handiwork. This surely means that the world should be something we revere and delight in.
Who was Jesus?
Christians have always believed that Jesus was not just a good man, but the Son of God. We believe that he came from God, and returned again to his Father’s presence. Indeed the whole of Christianity stands or falls on whether Jesus was who he said he was.

No serious academic today believe that Jesus didn’t exist. Historians agree that he was a remarkable teacher, who amazed people 2,000 years ago with miracles that they found it hard to explain. They also know that he was crucified in the most barbaric way imaginable and that his followers were convinced that three days later he came back to life. Many of those disciples were themselves put to death, refusing to back down on those claims. Why would they do so unless they were convinced Jesus had been resurrected?

Jesus himself also claimed to be the Son of God - God in human form, sent to save us. The Christian writer CS Lewis summed up our response to Jesus as follows: “he was either mad, bad, or God.” He was either living a delusion, living a lie, or he really was God. It is impossible to say that he was just a good teacher because he claimed to be more than that. If we don’t believe his own claims about himself, why should we believe any of his teachings?

Why did Jesus have to die?
The simple answer might be that Jesus died because he was a preacher of radical ideas, who disturbed the religious and political leaders of his time, exposed their hypocrisy, aroused their jealousy - and so was condemned to death on the cross.

That’s not the whole story. It ignores the fact that Jesus willingly laid down his own life, that no-one took it from him. He died so that we might live. He became sin so that we might be freed from sin.

As the Bible says: “Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.” (1 Peter 3:18, RSV). We all know that forgiveness can be costly and it was costly for God to forgive us. It cost God his own Son.

We all do things that we know are wrong. Those things stop us from having a proper relationship with God. It is only as we approach God and ask for forgiveness that we can start that new relationship. Jesus’s death in our place makes that relationship possible. As we begin to understand what that means, we also become aware of the love which God has for us and for all of his creation.
The 'bumping' activity here seems to have stalled at 1938 so I thought I'd give it a push along ... see if I can grab number 2000 a little later perhaps. Don't worry @OP, I didn't read anything nor did I commit anything blasphemous or heretical. Not so long ago no doubt I'd have been burnt, Christians used to do a lot of that stuff, didn't they?

I thought you were my friend;
My friend, I stand in judgment now
And feel that you're to blame somehow
While on this earth I walked with you day by day
And never did you point the way
You knew the Lord in truth and glory
But never did you tell the story
My knowledge then was very dim
You could have led me safely to him
Though we lived together here on earth
You never told me of your second birth

And now I stand this day condemned
Because you failed to mention Him
You taught me many things, that's true
I called you a friend and trusted you
But now I learned, now it's too late
You could have kept me from this fate

We walked by day and talked by night
And yet you showed me not the light
You let me live, love, and die
And all the while you knew I'd never live on high
Yes, I called you a friend in life
And trusted you in joy and strife
Yet in coming to this end
I see you really weren't my friend

D. J. Higgins
The role of the Holy Spirit in your life
lFuel for the Soul
Brandon Wenzel
These past two weeks, writers from Quest Church have spoken on the topic of ‘Infinitely More’ and speaking to how God wants to do infinitely more in your life than you can ask or think of!
This week, I want to speak to two things that the Holy Spirit wants to do in you.

The first thing that He wants to do is bring POWER into your life. Power to do and be more than you can imagine! Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” This power that comes from the Holy Spirit allows you to stand strong for the things of God. We find in the Bible that Peter, who two months before denied Jesus three times, stands before a crowd immediately after receiving the Holy Spirit and over 3,000 people come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The second thing the Holy Spirit wants to do in us is give us SPIRITUAL GIFTS. The gifts of the Spirit are laid out in 1 Corinthians 12:8-11 and speak to things such as miraculous healing, wisdom, prophecy, speaking in tongues, and discernment. These gifts were manifested 2,000 years ago, but they can be alive and well in our own lives today! Through personal experience and the testimonies of other, I have seen these gifts in action. Every time they have shown themselves, they have blessed the individual recipient of the gift as well as glorified God in the process.

Now is the time our culture needs to stand up, with the power of the Holy Spirit, for the things that grieve God. We are called to be the audible voices of God to the world around us. And, through that, we are able to have a voice to stand up for the injustices of this world. As things are calming down with riots and COVID-19, we need to never hide our God who lives inside of us.
He Works Through People.
Jenny, Jenny He didn't do it. I looked under my bed and there was nothing for me.

I struggled to clear my mind as I had been in a deep sleep, when Monica woke me. I wondered what she was talking about. What are you trying to say honey? There is no doll Jenny, there is no doll under my bed.

Ah now I did remember. Monica wanted very much to have a dolly.

I had told her to pray and ask the Lord for it.

She had done so and now believed that He had not delivered as she thought He would, by putting the doll under her bed.

I tried to explain to her that God was not Santa Claus, that He works through people.

I could tell that this was too much for her to understand, she was only five years old.

That very afternoon her girlfriend, who lived next door, came over to the house. Lisa was very excited.

Monica, my dad just came home from a trip and look at what he brought me, a new doll, and if you want to, you can have my other doll.

Now Monica's eyes lit up and she looked at me with wonder, for she now understood that indeed, God works through people.

A very famous preacher, Hudson Taylor once said, Lord, that you will answer my prayer, I know! What fascinates me every time is, How you are going to answer.

Go to: Table of Contents or Next Chapter of Jenny's book; He Works Through People.......many of her own stories are in her blog What makes Jesus unique.............
We are heading for all fall but why is that necessarily the big finale? We've seen worse in human history and Jesus didn't return then. What makes the time we live in so majorly important? Isn't that a tad narcissistic to believe that all the important things happen in our lifetime? I thought the point was that nobody knows when Jesus will come again.
Chesney you are right Jesus told his disciples that no one knows the time or the hour nor even Him
Living at the time in California all you heard was get ready for the end times.
On the radio you heard; "Come quickly Lord Jesus"
Many wished to be there when it happened................
"Don't wish for it to happen in your lifetime because it won't be a good time.
I do like people to be aware because it Can happen anytime as there is not a prophecy that needs to be fulfilled first.
Jesus says that He will come like a thief in the night, one I will take and leave the other I leave,
A lot of people have a problem knowing and understanding the role of the Holy Spirit,
I hope and pray that what I have sent you will bring clarity to it all.
Jesus is back with God, His Father. Before He left He told us that He would not leave us
like orphans but would send the Holy Spirit to stay with us.
Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are equal in every way......................teddybear
2 Corinthians 6:14 - Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
My dear readers and friends, do you ever feel led to witness to someone, it can be so easy.
I went to the grocery store this morning and standing in line at the cashier the lady next to me and I was talking about the snow on the road.
I said; "you know when I get to talk to God one day I will ask why He did not just put the snow on the mountains and the trees only but kept the roads clear"
"Oh, the lady said; "So you are sure you will get the chance to talk to this God?"
"Oh, yes mam I have a written guarantee that I will"
If I had more time to talk I would have told her to look up John 3-13

Some time ago I did this and now would be a good time for it again I am sure when a lady talked to me about the high cost of food. I agreed of course and told the lady, "it would get worse"
She was sure that indeed this would happen.
"Well, I don't worry about it," I said; "because I have a rich father"
"Yes that would help to have a rich father," she said.
"For sure mam," I said and looked up............................
The Evolution of Faith: How Accepting God Changed Me
June 27, 2019
Often times you hear people telling you that when you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior you are transformed. You are made new. But what does that even mean? To a new believer, it can sound a bit hokey. Was God supposed to wash over me and suddenly I stopped sinning? Was I born again? Made perfect? Righteous? How will I feel different (if at all)?

I can tell you from personal experience that the transformation was more noticeable in hindsight than it was in the moment. When I accepted Christ (aka chose to not only believe but to follow Him), it changed me in many ways, but the only thing that immediately changed was my heart.

Let’s Start From The Beginning
Unlike other stories you may know of, there was no grand show for me to accept Jesus into my life. It didn’t happen at my baptism (I was raised Catholic and baptized as an infant). There was no altar call. It happened sometime after I was invited to church with a friend on Easter in 2014. That story can be found here. From that day forward my life has never been the same.

“An acquaintance from college had just moved to the area with her husband and started working in my unit (small world). A few weeks before Easter, she handed me a flier and casually asked if I would like to go to church with her and have Easter lunch afterward.

I immediately said yes! I met her and her husband at their house before church, and we all rode together to their Easter Service. This made a world of difference. I walked into a large foreign building and felt comforted that I had a friend by my side. Surely people wouldn’t know who I was.

That service transformed my life.”
Change Of Heart
During that Easter service, I fell in love with the Lord. I had a fire ignite within me, a passion, a drive to get to know who this Jesus Christ of the Bible really was. This was about the only thing that instantly changed - my desire. Like a girl infatuated with a new guy, Jesus had become my guy (sorry David).

A few noticeable things changed immediately:
I joined a small group called “Called to Serve” with other Christian women affiliated with the military (both Active Duty or Spouse).

I couldn’t wait to go to church on Sundays. This literally became my favorite day of the week. I had a hunger that only church could somewhat fill.

I had a curiosity to answer all of my questions and learn all that I could about God.
I began volunteering with the church ministries.
I started reading and studying my Bible.

Those areas in which I noticed a change aren’t for everyone. It’s not a list of changes every new believer should go through. Instead, it's how I noticed my life change in those first few weeks. I acted the same and believed all of the same things. The biggest difference was that I had a curiosity that needed to be filled and I surrounded myself with a Christian community that would eventually play a significant part in my transformation process.

By participating in a small group, I found a lifelong friend that challenged my beliefs. She encouraged me in my faith and showed me what it was like to be unapologetically Christian. She was always reaching for my hand and trying to pray out loud (which felt EXTREMELY uncomfortable at the time). She encouraged me in my relationships with family and my fiancé (now husband). She shared her history with me and ultimately, she became a true sister in Christ.

Volunteering in other ministries forced me into meeting people in different stages of their faith, from new believers to pastors of the Church. Simply having conversations with these people answered questions, created new ones, and taught me what Christianity was all about.

Christianity wasn’t about perfection, nor was it about never sinning (that was impossible).
It also wasn’t about everyone believing the exact same thing (this will be a completely different post).

Revelation Of Truth
The more I read and studied the bible, the more questions began to arise. BUT (this is a BIG but), things started to make sense. It was as if God lifted up my blinders and allowed me to understand the truth behind scripture. Not everything of course, for there is so much I still do not understand. And for the things I still don’t understand, He gave me a peace to accept that I will not know everything.

After all, that was one of my biggest frustrations. There was so much that did not make sense to me, could I really believe and follow Jesus if I didn’t understand everything?

The simple answer – yes!

Evolution Over The Last 5 Years
Over time, I started noticing my behaviors and beliefs change. When I was younger, I had strong social and political beliefs that changed through my journey to faith.

I went from believing that a woman should have a choice over what happens to her own body, to believe that every person (from conception) should have the right to life.

I went from believing that as long as you were in love, it didn’t matter who you married, to realizing God designed marriage, and that is between a man and a woman.

I went from believing that as long as I was a good person that’s all that mattered, to realizing there is no such thing as a good person except for Christ.

I went from believing that I could earn my salvation (be a good person) to understanding that it had nothing to do with my actions.

And I went from believing that Christianity was all about knowing/reciting the Bible, to understanding that Christianity was more about living for Christ even if you can’t recite scripture.

This list could go on and on about all the ways my ideas, thoughts and beliefs were challenged and altered, but that’s not the point of this story. The point is that being a Christian isn’t a one-time thing. You don’t accept Christ into your life and then BAM you are changed. Christianity is a journey you take for the rest of your life. It’s the decision to follow Christ no matter where He takes you. It’s the decision to humbly admit that you are unworthy yet chosen. It’s the decision to understand that every word, every thought, and every action, is a reflection of God’s work in your life.

Do not be discouraged when you stumble, because God will be there to pick you back up (Psalm 37). Do not be discouraged if you’ve recited the sinner's prayer and still question whether you did it right. Do not be discouraged if your life looks nothing like the “perfect Christian” you keep comparing yourself to.

Your story is your own to live out. It will not look like anyone else’s. Keep asking those questions, and keep striving to know more of God. Keep talking to Him and asking Him for clarification and guidance.

One day, sooner than you think, you will look back and be amazed at how far you have come.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts
You are most welcome June................always happy to see a new reader here.....................jenny
Can You be a Christian without Going to Church?
PHIL NEWTON
I’ve heard it many times. “Well, you don’t have to attend church to be a Christian.” “Attending church doesn’t make you a Christian!” “I don’t need the church; I worship God in my own way.”

In each case, someone attempts to provide a barrier to further conversation about the gospel and its effects on the whole of a person’s life. In the discomforting moment of confrontation (gently or firmly) concerning sin, Christ’s death and resurrection, the call to repentance and faith, and the ongoing call of Christian discipleship, that person wants to push away and still feel satisfied with his position with God.

So, can he/she still be a Christian without going to church? If one means, does church attendance save anyone, we have to agree that it does not. Jesus Christ saves. Certainly, a lack of church attendance likely inhibits one from coming to faith in Christ by not being under the proclamation of the gospel. But the question is really not about whether attending church saves anyone—that’s only a ruse to steer the conversation away from the pointed realities of the gospel. Instead, what happens once a person is united to Jesus Christ through faith in Him? Can that person, despite his/her profession of Christ, maintain a go-it-alone approach to Christianity and be legitimate as a true believer?

Let’s consider a few things that we find in the Scripture since Scripture alone is the foundation for our faith and practice. Our opinions and even our family traditions (some don’t attend church yet profess to be Christian just like their parents have done) do not matter at this point.

Jesus established community with His first followers (e.g. Matt 4:18–5:2). He called a group of men to Himself who spent three years with Him discussing biblical truth, listening to His teaching, praying together, serving together, fellowshipping together, learning to live in relationship with one another, and preparing to lead the multiplying communities of believers in the first century. We know that it was not only men that followed but also women who became stalwarts in the early church (Luke 8:1–3; 23:49). The only time that Jesus did not include a true believer in the community that followed Him was with the man that Jesus delivered and made a new creation, that we call the Gerasene demoniac. He wanted to follow with Jesus and His community but Jesus sent him on a mission to his homeland of Decapolis, where he proclaimed “what great things Jesus had done for him” (Mark 5:1–20).

Prior to His ascension, Jesus charged His followers to make disciples, baptize them, and then to go on teaching them to faithfully observe (obey, put into practice, live in) all that He had taught them (Matt 28:19–20). The Great Commission directed gospel work to be done within the ongoing framework of Christian community. The continual teaching and shepherding toward faithful observance of Christ’s teachings is not done in isolation. Nor is the accountability necessary to hold our spiritual feet to the fire of obedience done alone. We need the body of Christ if we would follow Jesus. Jesus prescribed it Himself.

I realize that some quickly revert to how they can watch Christian teaching on the Internet or television or listen to audio messages. That’s a wonderful supplement and a great help when one is homebound but it does nothing toward application in the context of community. So many of the commands in the New Testament are relational. “Put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you” (Col 3:12–13). Those are not commands for solitary confinement in one’s home.
Those are not commands for solitary confinement in one’s home. They are community commands—learning to apply the gospel and its power and beauty in the context of the relationships within the local church. In that way, the gospel shines through the church’s life together. To further reinforce that interpretation, Paul’s balance in that paragraph in Colossians three points directly toward “teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God” (Col 3:14–17). Again, these are actions that take place with reference to the local church. They are not for spiritual segregationalists who think that they are either too good to gather with others or that they don’t need anyone else to live like a Christian or that no one can add to their superior way of thinking.

One reads the scenes in heaven and it’s never, never about being an isolationist! Those scenes around the throne are always with the masses of people redeemed by the blood of Christ, who share the joys of His presence together forever (e.g. Rev 5:11–14; 7:9–17).

Can you be a Christian without going to church? Better asked, how can anyone who professes to be redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ think of not gathering with His body each week? (Hebrews 10:25) While attending church doesn’t save anyone, we find no shred of biblical evidence that true Christians didn’t seek to gather with one another. On the contrary, the weight of evidence in the Gospels, Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation is that Christ saves us to unite us to His body, which Paul declares is the church (Eph 1:22–23). Through the centuries, Christians have literally sacrificed their lives to gather with Christ’s body—the church. Thank God, they are still doing it today.

To declare that one doesn’t need to attend church to be a Christian is to expose a betrayal in thought and practice of the effectiveness and power of the gospel. True Christians and local congregations go together.
What Must I Give Up to Become a Christian?
Where is my life headed?
To become a Christian, you will have to give up searching for hope, peace, and fulfillment.

God only gave up one thing so people could become “Christians.” He gave up his only Son who was Christ.

Jesus gave up everything including his life so that you and I wouldn’t have to. He doesn’t make us give up anything. He merely offers us a new abundant life while we’re alive and the afterlife to come.

He only asks that we recognize we are lost and wayward and need a Savior. He only asks that we lay down the pride of our selfishness that says, “We don’t need God.”

That pride is sin. The plain truth is we are born that way; born in sin and separated from God. That’s why our lives get so messed up.

What are you searching for? The list could be long and the answers may be many, but there is only one right answer to your search, to your struggle—Jesus Christ.

It is wise to count the cost of Christianity, just as it is wise to consider the cost of life without it. Should you decide you do not want to live in loneliness, hopelessness, fearfulness, or whatever state you find yourself in, the next step is simple. Answer this question, “Are you willing to lay down your pride and ask God for help?”

If so, then by faith, which comes from God, admit your life is a mess and you need a helper, a comforter—a Savior. Recognize that you need Jesus as your Savior. Commit to putting your trust in Christ so that you will be right with God.

So far you have been trusting in yourself, and look where you’re at. Trust in Jesus, he will not let you down. The Bible says, “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame" (Romans 10:10-11).

Lay your pride down, hold your head up, and receive new life.
Why Does God Let Bad Things Happen?
How to avoid the trap of bitterness.
Have you ever wondered, Why God let me suffer that injury? lose my job? have a car accident? forget that appointment? have a fight with my spouse? let my parents get divorced? let me be born with a defect?

How can a God who loves me allow me to experience pain and suffering? It just doesn’t seem to add up. When bad things happen, we want answers.

The truth is, you can’t know all the reasons why God lets bad things happen. We live in a world that is marred by sin, so difficulties and disappointments are bound to cross our paths. Nevertheless, if you ask God for discernment, you can begin to understand why He allowed something to occur. You can also discover how God can redeem the situation and bring benefits to your life as a result of suffering.

Scripture teaches us that “all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28; see also Jeremiah 29:11). Searching for God’s answers and learning to view “bad things” as “good things in disguise” are disciplines that God wants His children to develop as they mature spiritually. (See I Corinthians 2:14 and Romans 8:1–17.)

Accept God’s Grace
Unless you accept God’s grace to deal with suffering, inevitably you will become bitter. However, if you choose to trust God to bring about His purposes through suffering, you can avoid the trap of bitterness and grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. (See II Corinthians 5:7 and II Peter 3:18.)

You can be confident that God will not allow anything to happen to you without His permission, and He will not let any “bad thing” happen that will not ultimately bring you more good than destruction. (See I Peter 4:12–13, Romans 9:14–24, Isaiah 55:8–9, Job 1:6–12, Genesis 50:20, and Psalm 121.)

Discern the Benefits of Your Suffering
As you seek to discern the benefits of your suffering, it is important to ask six general questions:

How can this situation help me understand more about Christ?
Jesus suffered much. He was “despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3). He was ridiculed, betrayed, beaten, humiliated, abandoned, and falsely accused. Do you think Jesus was ever tempted to be bitter toward those who caused His suffering? Of course, He was. In fact, the Bible says He was “in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15).

“Without sin”—here is the difference between man’s “natural” responses of anger and bitterness (sin), and Jesus Christ’s responses of trust and perfect obedience to His Father’s will. How, then, can we face temptation without sinning? The next verse in that Scripture passage gives us the answer: “Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

Jesus showed us the right way to respond to suffering. In your hard circumstance or tragedy or heartbreaking disappointment, you can learn to respond as Jesus did. As you study God’s Word, be alert to Christ’s responses when He suffered. Follow His example as God guides you by His Holy Spirit, in each situation you encounter. Through your suffering, you can understand more about your Savior.

How can God use this situation to produce humility in me?
God hates pride. (See Proverbs 6:16–17.) On the other hand, “by humility and the fear of the Lord are riches and honor, and life” (Proverbs 22:4). Therefore, when you suffer you should look for ways to learn humility. “He hath showed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8).

Do you know why God let the children of Israel wander in the wilderness for forty years?
teddybear
Advice for When You’re Struggling with Faith
By Grace Ruiter
What do you do when the thing that is supposed to be your greatest source of comfort is what’s keeping you up at night? Doubting God seems to throw everything off balance. When you’re struggling with faith, it can feel like your life’s purpose, friendships, family relationships, and understanding of the world are all under threat. So allowing yourself to ask hard questions about what you believe takes a lot of courage. And because we have a bad habit of shutting down conversations about doubt in the church, you might feel like you have to navigate a faith crisis on your own. (You don’t; more on that later.) That’s a scary and frustrating and heavy place to be. I know because I’ve been there.

Your story isn’t my story. I realize that. But for what it’s worth, here’s what I wish someone had told me when I started questioning my faith.

1. Struggling with faith is normal; it's part of growing.
You don’t need to cancel your church membership just because you’re questioning some of your beliefs. It’s normal to have questions about God. Sometimes taking faith and the questions it poses seriously means struggling with faith. And sometimes it causes you to have doubts. But as long as there’s a kernel of belief left in you, you have not lost your faith. In fact, questioning your faith is often how you grow it.

A seed of faith buried deep in the ground has a shell of protection around it to shield it from the elements. When a sapling sheds the protection of the seed to poke its head above the ground, it is vulnerable to wind, rain, snow, and animals. But its roots keep it tethered to the ground. And the tugs of the wind and the rain actually help to strengthen the sapling into a tree that can withstand torrential storms without a shell. Your faith is the same.

If you’ve started asking the hard questions, you’ve already started to poke out of your protective shell. Pretending you haven’t thought of questions that you are afraid to answer is like trying to force toothpaste back into its tube. It’s not going to work. And that might be a good thing. Faith was never meant to be static or unchanging. Questioning your faith means you are taking seriously the task of pursuing truth and figuring out what it means to live according to it. This is what discipleship is all about!

2. Embrace curiosity like a child.
Kids ask a lot of questions. So when Jesus tells us to become like little children, I don’t think he’s saying we should tamp down our curiosity. Fairy tales often point out that children are more willing to believe in what they can’t see than many adults. But the humility and openness that enable children to believe in the unseen also spark greater wonder and curiosity.

Childlike faith is open to learning something new, to changing shape, to being wrong, and to asking hard questions. It is curious and eager to explore without demanding five pages of proof to verify each discovery.

So let yourself wander back to preschool. Dare to pursue what you desperately want to know but are too afraid to ask. The worst thing that can happen: you find out you might be wrong about something. But wouldn’t you rather discover the truth than believe a lie because you were too afraid to see beyond it?

3. Talk to someone you trust about how you’re struggling with faith.
You don’t have to wrestle with your doubts on your own. (Seriously: learn from my mistakes.) Now is not the time to distance yourself from the people who love and care about you. Struggling with faith can be hard, and they can help you.

Do you have someone in your life who you look to as a model for your faith in particular? Consider confiding in that person. You might be afraid of disappointing them or worried they won’t get why you’re struggling with faith. But try to give them the benefit of the doubt.
Just like your parents here on earth, your Heavenly Father wants to hear from you and talk to you. When you pray, He listens. Then He answers your prayers in the form of thoughts, spiritual feelings, scripture, or even the actions of other people.

It is amazing how God has set it up so that when we want/need something we have to ask Him.
Yes, He already knows what we want/need but He wants to hear from us.
Is it not amazing that the Great Almighty Wants to hear from us His children?
I have often wondered how much would we talk to our Savior if He had not set it up this way.
I have all the time a line open to the Lord, how often am I saying; "Sorry Lord" Or "thank you Lord"
The Salvation Army is a Protestant church and an international charitable organization headquartered in London, England. The organization reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7 million, comprising soldiers, officers, and adherents collectively known as Salvationists. Its founders sought to bring salvation to the poor, destitute, and hungry by meeting both their "physical and spiritual needs". It is present in 133 countries, running charity shops, operating shelters for the homeless and disaster relief, and humanitarian aid to developing countries.

The theology of the Salvation Army is derived from Methodism, although it is distinctive in institution and practice. A distinctive characteristic of the Salvation Army is its use of titles derived from military ranks, such as "lieutenant" or "major". It does not celebrate the rites of Baptism and Holy Communion. However, the Army's doctrine is otherwise typical of holiness churches in the Wesleyan–Arminian tradition. The Army's purposes are "the advancement of the Christian religion... of education, the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole".

The Army was founded in 1865 in London by one-time Methodist preacher William Booth and his wife Catherine as the East London Christian Mission and can trace its origins to the Blind Beggar tavern. In 1878, Booth reorganized the mission, becoming its first General and introducing the military structure which has been retained as a matter of tradition Its highest priority is its Christian principles. The current international leader of The Salvation Army and chief executive officer (CEO) is General Brian Peddle, who was elected by the High Council of The Salvation Army on 3 August 2018.
What was the impact of martyrdom? What was the impact of people like Perpetua?

The martyrs are a heroic minority. They don't represent a huge popular swelling. We don't have tens of thousands of people being martyred. What we do have, is tens of thousands of people admiring the few who are martyred. So in that sense, like any extreme, a martyr marks out a spiritual height to be admired but not necessarily emulated. In that sense, the martyr stories have an incredible effect on the imagination of Christians, because who's the first Christian martyr? Jesus, himself. Heroically witnessing to his own faith, in a sense, and against a hostile government tribunal. So there's this kind of imaginative continuity between Christ and the martyr.

What's most interesting is when the heroic age stopped and when the Church itself converted into a form of Roman imperial culture, after the conversion of Constantine in 312. That's where you get the incredible efflorescence of the cult of the martyrs. Martyrs' shrines, bits of martyrs' bodies, and liturgies being written to the martyrs. There's an incredible energy involved in worshipping at the tombs of the martyrs after the age of martyrs has... has stopped. And I think that's, in a way, Christianity's effort to reclaim its own heroic history after it had already become an arm of government, itself, and was, of course, persecuting other Christians. More Christians were persecuted by the Roman Government after the conversion of Constantine, than before. The difference is that it's a Christian government that's persecuting other Christians.
What was the impact of martyrdom? What was the impact of people like Perpetua?

The martyrs are a heroic minority. They don't represent a huge popular swelling. We don't have tens of thousands of people being martyred. What we do have, is tens of thousands of people admiring the few who are martyred. So in that sense, like any extreme, a martyr marks out a spiritual height to be admired but not necessarily emulated. In that sense, the martyr stories have an incredible effect on the imagination of Christians, because who's the first Christian martyr? Jesus, himself. Heroically witnessing to his own faith, in a sense, and against a hostile government tribunal. So there's this kind of imaginative continuity between Christ and the martyr.

What's most interesting is when the heroic age stopped and when the Church itself converted into a form of Roman imperial culture, after the conversion of Constantine in 312.
That's where you get the incredible efflorescence of the cult of the martyrs. Martyrs' shrines, bits of martyrs' bodies, and liturgies being written to the martyrs. There's an incredible energy involved in worshipping at the tombs of the martyrs after the age of martyrs has... has stopped. And I think that's, in a way, Christianity's effort to reclaim its own heroic history after it had already become an arm of government, itself, and was, of course, persecuting other Christians. More Christians were persecuted by the Roman Government after the conversion of Constantine, than before. The difference is that it's a Christian government that's persecuting other Christians.
Hi, Sea wow going back to the 3rd century. Have to find Filicity...........

About the story of the one martyred in Turkey.
The Dutch celebrate St. Nicolas who was a bishop coming from Turkey, but it does not seem to be the same person...............the one I am referring to was taking care of the poor.
How many centuries have the Dutch children sung about this Bishop and told how He took care of the poor.
On the 5th of December, he came with His helpers who were Moors.:.........teddybear:
So very very true. Great reflections Jenny. bouquet
Thank you Lukeon........................teddybear
Everyday learn something new......

Today at Mass the Homily (Sermon) was about white and red martyrdom.....huh? comes in colors...who knew?

This All Saints Day, please honor the “red martyrs,” as they're called – the ones who were murdered for their faith. But please honor the white martyrs who died to themselves for the sake of Christ, too.
Indeed Sea every day we are learning something, something new at times............... wave
thumbs up thanks for the details
"My Old Man"
Song by John McDermott

The tears have all been shed now
We've said our last good-bye
His soul's been blessed and he's laid to rest
And it's now I feel alone
He was more than just a father
A teacher my best friend
He can still be heard in the tunes we shared
When we play them on our own
I never will forget him for he made me what I am
Though he may be gone memory lingers on
And I miss him... The old man

As a boy he'd take me walking
By mountain field and stream
And he showed me things not known to kings
And secret between him and me.
Like the colors of the pheasant
As he rises in the dawn
And how to fish and make a wish
Besides the holly tree
I never will forget him for he made me what I am
Though he may be gone memory lingers on
And I miss him... The Old Man

I thought he'd live forever
He seemed so big and strong
But the minutes fly and the years roll by
For a father and his son
And suddenly when it happened
There was so much left unsaid
No second chance to tell him thanks
For everything, he's done
I never will forget him for he made me what I am
Though he may be gone memory lingers on
And I miss him... The Old Man
Source: LyricFind
Christmas in India;
Christians in India are found in every community and state. Usually, Indian Christians decorate mango and banana trees. They decorate their houses with mango leaves and lamps made from clay. Churches are decorated with lights and candles and people flock to the well-lit streets to celebrate the Christmas festivities in the evening.

Christmas in Egypt;
Christmas in Egypt is celebrated on 7th January. They are usually Coptic Christians who observe a fast for forty days during which they do not eat meat, poultry, or dairy products. They meet on Christmas day and after the prayer ceremony at the Church, they go home and eat their special meal known as ‘fata’. They visit friends and neighbors and gift them ‘kaik’ a shortbread which is eaten with a drink called short bat.

Christmas in Russia;
Here Christmas is celebrated as the ‘festival of winter’. People start fasting for 39 days until January 6th, when the evening star appears in the sky. After which they start their festivities with a twelve-course meal which mainly consists of fish, beetroot soup, cabbage stuffed with millet, and most importantly cooked dry fruits. Babushka, meaning grandmother, is their traditional Christmas figure who distributes gifts to children.

Christmas in Romania;
Carols form a very important part of the Romanians. Romanian carols are not just simple songs, but a way to allow people to surpass all difficulties in life. Children move from one house to another singing Christmas carols and narrating legends. The leader of the group carries a large wooden star, covered with shiny paper and decorated with bells and ribbons. The main attraction of their feast is a Pig which is nicely cleaned and cooked.
Christmas celebrations in various countries
Germany; Poland;
In Germany, gifts are exchanged on Christmas Eve rather than on Christmas Day. This was introduced by Martin Luther, who felt that Christmas Day should focus on Christ’s birth and not on gifts. Germany is also reportedly the first country in which people began to put Christmas trees inside their homes. The tree is typically brought into the home on Christmas Eve, after the children have gone to sleep, and is secretly decorated by the mother of the family.

Christmas Eve in Poland is a day of fasting, with a festive meal served at the end of the fast. Families usually feast on a 12-course meal, which represents the 12 disciples of Jesus. Christmas Eve ends with Pasterka, the midnight mass at the local church. Christmas Day in Poland is spent attending mass and visiting friends.

Kazakhstan and Russia;
The government of the Soviet Union sought to stamp out the religious aspect of Christmas, and so officially denounced the holiday--however, many of the holiday's secular elements transferred to the New Year's holiday. This led to the modern scenario in former Soviet countries such as Russia and Kazakhstan, in which only the Orthodox Christian minority celebrates Christmas (on Jan. 07), but everyone celebrates the New Year festival—which includes New Year's trees and the bearded Snow Father (also called Father Frost or Grandfather Frost), who delivers presents to children on New Year's Eve.

Norway;
As in other European countries, gifts are opened on Christmas Eve in Norway. Santa Claus, known as Julenissen, and his small gnomes, known as “nisse” deliver the gifts. Christmas Day is a quieter and more relaxed day, with a traditional breakfast served and Church services attended. December 26th has continued celebrations of gatherings and parties with Christmas cookies and treats are enjoyed.

Japan;
Because few Christians live in Japan, Christmas is not celebrated as a religious holiday. Nor is it recognized by the government as a formal public holiday. However, Christmas is seen as a time to spread happiness in Japan, and many Western Christmas traditions have been adopted by Japan. Gifts are exchanged and Christmas parties are held around Christmas Day. During the 1970s, an advertising campaign made it popular to eat KFC around Christmas, a tradition so popular that KFCs in Japan now take reservations and orders for Christmas meals weeks in advance.

Iceland;
Iceland celebrates Yule, which is linked to winter solstice celebrations dating back thousands of years before Christmas. In fact, many Christmas traditions are taken from Yule. Celebrations in Iceland begin four Sundays before December 24th (Advent) and end on January 6th, 13 days later. Thirteen days before December 24th, children leave out shoes by the window so that the Yule Lads, the two sons of trolls living in the mountains known for their mischief, can leave them small presents. On the 24th, some will attend mass at 6:00 pm and others will begin their holiday meal, after which gifts are opened.
Jack a lot of people wonder if this is the end time. we are supposed to hear rumors of wars, don't see that right now.
I do believe we are living close to the last dispensation.......
I do agree with you that things in the world are not getting better but worse and that is all over the world so.

Just talking today with my husband, so little crime was happening in Holland
when we were growing up that when it did happen, a song was made of that fact.
That was just before world war 11.
Today things happen so often that we become desensitized.............

wave
Those who endure to the end are saved and will stand firm through false teaching.. wave

No one can say oh I will make it, we don't know what is coming down the pike in the days to come.
Some have made it by staying faithful to the end not having gone through a lot.
What about if we have to go through the real end times when we are told; No one can buy or sell unless they have the mark on their forehead or hand.
I know enough about the Bible to never accept the mark, because if you do accept the mark you have lost your last chance to be forever with the Lord
So not taking the mark means I will starve to death, can I go through that?
Can't say yes, ahead of time, easy to now say oh I make it.
I've made it this far, I'm doing good.. wave

I too can say; I made it so far. How much have we been tested, could we still say the same if we were severely tested? We really don't know do we?
Okay so you know the OT very well, does that give you a heads-up somewhere Jack?
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bcjenny

somewhere in B.C., British Columbia, Canada

I am married, thus not seeking anyone here now
Born in Europe, The Netherlands
Living in Canada [read more]

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