Things I Never Knew
- Locked due to inactivity on Jan 3, '19 3:54am
Thread Topic: Things I Never Knew
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There are treasures that shouldn't be forgotten, lessons that I've learned in walking with Christ. True Christianity is a living relationship with God. It's very different from the prosperity gospel and the cold religion of some churches. It's a belief and love for a real, living, personal Creator God who would have all to be saved. That salvation is through Jesus Christ alone, the perfect Passover Lamb who alone can cleanse us of our sins.
Is this offensive? If salvation is not through what Jesus Christ endured on the cross, how can we believe in Christianity at all? Would the Father really ignore His Son's prayer asking that if it were possible for Him not to endure the cross for our salvation, that the cup would pass from Him? I believe Jesus prayed that prayer for our sake, to know only He can save us. He was already set on doing the Father's will and saving those that would someday be His bride, the Church.
The cross is offensive because it simply proclaims that actions have consequences. Sin leads to death. It proclaims that the world is guilty before a holy, perfect God. And isn't that true? Who here has never sinned? Who here has never been sinned against? This is the unavoidable human problem. We carry scars hidden inside, inflicted by ourselves and by others. We've left scars on others. We've left scars on Jesus. Are we so prideful that we can't honestly admit that we need help? Mankind rebelled against God and still rebels against God. What have we gained? Have our taxes dollars, education, technology and accomplishments made us more holy? More loving? More moral?
You older users on here know me. You know who I was the majority of my time on this site. Did I set out to be a preacher? Did I ever want to "force my religious beliefs" on anyone? No. I ran in the opposite direction. My highest idea of meaning in life was writing smut and singing whiny, angry punk songs. Where did it all bring me? My lowest low. My rock bottom. But that can be the place where we ask hard questions. Where we realize that something has to change or we will die.
Christ is the only hope I've found. I believe with all that I am this is the truth, because I've experienced His power the same way the sick, blind, deaf, and possessed were healed in the gospels. It's not empty emotionalism. It's a faith in the One who has power, Whose words actually hold up in reality.
If someone has been locked in a prison all of their life, and finds the way out of it, it is right and truly loving to go back and tell the other prisoners of the way to be free. I know the pain of depression, and what so many of you on here are going through. I'm free from it now. I have real peace that I never had before in my life. Should I keep my mouth shut in fear that saying the name of Jesus Christ might be offensive? That wouldn't be love. I sorrow over your sorrows. I only want the best for everyone here.
Apart from Christ, I have not found a world with purpose, meaning, justice, hope, or true love, but in Him I have found life itself. But I know what honestly holds us back from coming to Christ. The fear of putting our trust in Him, and what that entails, the surrender of our hearts to Him to follow Him and leave our idols behind, and what it will cost us in this world. Yet it is in laying our lives down for Christ that we learn what we were made for: to love and serve God, to truly give our lives in service to all the broken and hurting in this world. Not to live for our own selfishness and how much we can gain for ourselves in life, but instead to shine the light in darkness.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46 -
These are some of my favorite videos.
Richard Wurmbrand is a Jewish Christian, a Lutheran pastor, from Romania. He endured imprisonment and torture by the Soviet Union for his Christian faith.
Blessings from Suffering
A Church in Chains
The Beauty of Nothing
No Other God
George Mueller is really interesting. He actually took the Word of God seriously and ran orphanages in England only by prayers of faith.
George Mueller
This video details the underground house church movement in China. Nothing has helped me grow in my faith more than learning from the persecuted church.
Chinese Christians -
J. Brett Prince
David Wood
Guillaume Bignon -
I've started listening to old clips of sermons from David Wilkerson lately. This is a really powerful video of truth. None of us can grasp the Gospel, the New Covenant, until we come to end of ourselves and realize we need help.
Freedom from sin
Also I've been thinking of posting a link to this site for a while. About three years ago I found this church's website through my dad. The sermons on here have really helped me grow as I read through the Bible. They have a passionate love for God, His Word, and people.
Faith Harvest Church -
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Are you Mormon, RN? Or just trolling?
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No im actually mormon
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Ah okay. I actually already know a lot about Mormonism and Joseph Smith. I had some friends on a different forum who were Mormons. I love you guys, but I definitely don't believe in Mormonism.
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Asia Bibi is free.
So is Andrew Brunson.
This month has been awesome. -
Still have to see this movie heh
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