Results 721 - 740 of 773
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Results from: Answers On or After: Thu 12/31/70 Author: JCrichton Ordered by Verse |
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Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
721 | Do we have to sin? | James 3:2 | JCrichton | 107689 | ||
Hi, Ruthiew! Our call is to be perfect as the Father is Perfect. But as John points it out: 1 John 1:8; God has already stated that there is no one just, not a single one. Was God wrong? Just because the Holy Spirit has been given to us we are not automatically incapable of sinning. We are living in the Light, but we ourselves are not the Light: (1 John 1:5-7). Jesus put it simpler: I am the vine, you are the branches... so if we stick with Jesus, even though we ourselves are not clean, we can be cleansed. Am I claiming a right to sin?, certainly not!: Romans 6:1-14. But I am attesting to God's Word, that since we are in the flesh, and we are not God, we will be tempted and we will sin. The difference between a Christian and an unbeliever commiting a sin is that the Christian (those in fellowship with the Light) seek to repent and become right with God, through Christ while struggling not to sin; the unbeliever, having no one above him/her to answer to, relishes in both the act (sin) and the disobedience (rejection of all commandment). Paul explains this battle of the will (spirit vs. flesh) in Romans 7:14-25. And he augments our capacity not to sin with the following provisions: Ephisians 6:10-18. Remember, "There is nothing I cannot do in the One who stengthens me." (Philippians 4:13) So, when are we able not to sin? When we are in Jesus! When do we sin? When we succumb to the flesh. God Bless! |
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722 | The little words | James 3:9 | JCrichton | 136709 | ||
Hi, Lissa! As a Christian, you must represent (be Christ-like)... specially know that since your relationship has ended... your ex will constantly play on your Christianity... he has come to know you and is in a position of using what he knows to trip your emotions... basically he is manipulating you... continuing a "friendly" relationship with an ex is very politically correct (at least in the movies/shows etc.)... but I suggest to you to define this relationship in terms of your self-esteem and peace of mind... Calling or receiving a call from a person who relishes in irritating you is not a healthy habit... You do not have to become enemies, but if he cannot respect you then why expose yourself to his constant assaults?--I mean, you have explained to him how he makes you feel, haven't you? We cannot choose a family member... but we are quite capable of choosing our associates and friends! One past relation could not speak unless the very next word after "like" would be any of the choice profanities... for a time she curbed herself around me... but she would continuously fall back to her choice words... needless to say, it did not work! This relationship with your ex could be a testing ground for your patience and your Christian resolve... but I cannot but warn you that resentment is sometimes a tool that exs use in a very good disguise of "modern/cultured" persona... Have you heard about inside jobs... these are robberies or assaults caused by those who have complete or proficient knowledge of the intended target... Please, be careful--do not allow someone else to rob you of your grace and peace! God Bless! Angel |
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723 | Spiritual dilemma | James 5:9 | JCrichton | 133105 | ||
Hi, Praise be to God! Not only are we commanded to love our neighbors, but we are commanded to love also our enemies! Basically there's nothing that a Christian can do that is not out of love! Yet knowing all Scripture that deals with love and patience does not limit our behavior in Christ. Paul tells us to search everything and to keep what is good... well, we know that what comes from God is good... so already you have a point of reference! Now, is this person continuing to preach to you, on an individual basis, trying to sway your spirit? In your exchanges, have you made known to him that you have a different opinion? Is his teaching wrong according to Scripture or is it just a "feeling" that you have? Are the differences based on interpretation of Scripture, practices based on Scripture, or are the differences diametrically opposed because he offers a Gospel that is not Christ's Gospel? What ever you do... be slow to speak, and slower even to anger (James 1:19); PRAY, constantly and continuously! Seek to keep a brother or sister in the mix so that your encounters do not become a test of wills (ego-centered); share your understandings of his offerings and do not just point out errors but seek to mend the raptures... always keep the Holy Bible as reference so that your communication does not abound on personal views or interpretations... God Bless! Angel |
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724 | Why can we not just be Christians? | 1 Pet 1:2 | JCrichton | 151585 | ||
Hi! Christians are part of the Body of Christ (One Body); guided by one Spirit (the Holy Spirit); serving one Lord (Jesus) and one God (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit)... Sadly, we are made of flesh... weak, contemptuous, rebellious, arrogant, egocentric, ignorant, pretentious, envious, resentful, vindictive... any of these (and others) or their combination are lethal to our will and conscience... Satan uses weaknesses to form barriers between us and God and between the individual Christians... We are coasting blindly... fighting each others at times or demeaning or ignoring each others at other times... We all want to be right! We all want to be "the one" with an incomparable understanding and theology! Remember the old saying, if it is not broken, don't fix it?, well, we run to fix the Church, but not to unite Her; we run to discern new paths, but not if it leads to one body; we run to modernize the Holy Scripture, even at the cost of altering the Truth! As individuals, we can work unexhaustibly to promote our theologies and philosophies and we seek unity in disunity as the cure all for the rupture (no, not rapture) of the Body! Biblical proof? There isn't... quite the contrary there is Biblical proof to the opposite. (1 Corinthians 1:11-13; 12:25-31) God Bless! Angel |
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725 | Seperated from husband.What do this mean | 1 Pet 3:1 | JCrichton | 123958 | ||
Hi koda! The the vows of matrimony is binding to both the husband and the wife. Here's what Jesus had to say about marriage, divorse and adultery: Now I say this to you: anyone who divorses his wife--I am not speaking of fornication--and marries another, is guilty of adultery." (Matthew 19:9) and he said to them, 'Whoever divorceshis wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another she is guilty of adultery too.' (Mark 10:11-12) These rules apply to us today, as Christians! (And we do not have to be married in the sense of procuring a contract--if we engage in a sexual relationship with someone other than our spouse we have become one flesh with that person and have committed adultery against our legal and Biblica spouse! It is interesting that throughout the history of Israel only the woman would be found guilty of adultery--and put to death; while her partner in crime would seem to vanish into the air. Jesus holds both the man and the woman responsible in maintaining a pure married life! Both male and female are responsible for their sexual activities outside of their marriage, and both are bonded to their marriage vows unless one or the two commit adultery (fornicates) against the other. Paul talks about marriage in Romans 7 and in 1 Corinthians 7. We may choose to live by the Spirit or by the standards set by the world. But, clearly, we cannot do both! God Bless! Angel |
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726 | help me!!!!!!!! | 1 Pet 3:14 | JCrichton | 131805 | ||
Hi, L Smith! If the help that you are seeking is Bible Study, you have come to the right place! Many times the greatest problems Christians have is that they do not get to know Christ through their own personal efforts... they simply attend service and expect the Holy Spirit to fill their hearts and minds with God's Word... our relationship with Christ deepens as we get to know Him and His Church through the thorough study of Scripture... Please fill free to post your questions, but do it with the expectation of hitting the Good Book--don't just look to find short cuts to God! God Bless! Angel |
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727 | How can I answer Jehovah Witnesses? | 1 Pet 3:15 | JCrichton | 107144 | ||
Hi, TommyS! It truly is difficult to present any Biblical matter to (can't say all because I've not met them all) most JW. From the various encounters I've learned that they have a serious endoctrination period (3 years) which they continue to build on. They have a set format of introducing everyone to their way of interpreting the Bible; so no matter where you are as a Christian (novice or expert) their mechanism is to treat all non-JW as ignorant/immature in the faith. They are very adamant about their interpretations and seldom would they conclude that they have learned something new (but I know that they upgrade their belief system). Over a decade ago, I engaged a few JW--at that time they did not openly called themselves Christians (now they do) and Jesus was seldomly a study subject. They are fixated on their views and will not work outside their set boundaries. They will allow you to question their presentations, their interpretations and will even pretend to allow you to offer your own Bible passages to study--but, regretfully, they will not accept nor allow you to offer them anything but their group's dogmas. Even when presented with the most obvious readings they will not accept it. They will attempt to spin the meaning to anything but what the Bible says: Isaiah 43:10 -- they want Jesus to be a demigod or a suburdinate god to the Father so this passage derails them just for a little until they switch to another point (never accepting God's own words that there are no other gods but Him: not before, not after--but they still claim that Jesus is a creation a small god). You can use Biblical concordance, it doesn't work. You can use logic, it doesn't take. Even when you refer them to Hebrews 1:8; they can't see it! And don't send them to Isaiah 9:6--these are just empty and symbolic titles to them. So the best I can give you is, as Taleb mentioned, learn about your faith. If you saturate yourself with the Truth, you can undo their efforts just by checking their interpretations, with Biblical text, when they attempt to expose you to them. May the Light of Christmas shine on your quest! |
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728 | did jesus go to hell | 1 Pet 3:18 | JCrichton | 106401 | ||
Hi, germz! Yes, Jesus went to hell... but not in the manner that sinners and Satan and all his minions. Jesus died once for all sin (the past, the immidiate present, and the future). The revelation that was given to Peter is that Jesus preached in the Spirit to those who had died, unbelievers, prior to His death on the cross. But hell had no hold on Him, just like death had no hold on Him (verse 22). Now, isn't that a marvelous gift--when Jesus said "it is finished" He truly meant it! Death was beatten. Our Lord procured Salvation for all of us sinners! God Bless! P.S. I just previewed my response; the system did not include my complete citing: 1 Peter 3:18-22) |
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729 | Why did Jesus Go to Hell | 1 Pet 3:19 | JCrichton | 109397 | ||
Hi, Spikebogwan! 1 Peter 3:18-22 clearly answers your query. When Jesus died on the cross only His physical body was dead. Believing that Jesus is God can help you understand the cited passage. Jesus died for all sin once and for all. He was quite adamant about that: he who believes in Me even though dead shall live (paraphrase). How would those who died before Jesus' incarnation believe in Him otherwise? Jesus' words were not figurative nor was Peter's revelation! God Bless! |
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730 | When did Adam receive Christ? | 1 Pet 3:19 | JCrichton | 117703 | ||
Hi, crazydaisy! There is no clear statement that when Jesus preached, in the Spirit, to those who had died before His resurrection those who were preached to humbled themselves and accepted Him as their Savior! There is Biblical support that He did preach to those who had died during the old economy (the Law and the prophets); it is found in 1 Peter 3:18-22. Adam's, as well as Judas', fate rests in God's hands! God Bless! Angel |
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731 | Who are the spirits in 1 Peter 3 v 19? | 1 Pet 3:19 | JCrichton | 151968 | ||
Hi, Diomede! Jesus did not do time travel, as humans understand it (going back/forward in time)... God is Spirit and a day is to God as if a 1000 years and vice versa... Jesus, in the Spirit, was revealed to Paul as the Rock that followed the Hebrews in the desert and gave them that spiritual drink (1 Corinthians 10:4)... so at least in one instance we know that Jesus did reveal Himself in the Old Testament... Knowing that Jesus is Spirit and that at His death He would regain His full Authority and viewing 1 Peter 3:18-20 in light of 1 Peter 4:5-6; John 5:25 and Ephesians 4:8-10 can shed more light into the "who" are the spirits to which Jesus preached... Combining the above passages with Luke 23:43, we get the "when" ...Jesus did not travel back and forth through time as we understand it (hollow wood's definition of time travel)... being God, Jesus moved in His Spirit and accomplished all that had to be accomplished in order to fulfill the Holy Scripture. Though it does not say so in Scripture, I am obliged to believe that the reference to Noah by Peter was made to demonstrate how wonderful Christ Grace is... not to demonstrate some type of preference of one man over another nor to suggest that God's Power extended only to a certain point in time and so God would be forced to choose one group of people over the rest of humanity! (Romans 5:15-21; 1 Timothy 1:14; 2 Timothy 1:9-10; Romans 11:32-36; Ephesians 3:16-21) God Bless! Angel |
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732 | Gospel preached to the dead? | 1 Pet 4:6 | JCrichton | 131561 | ||
Hi, Hungry for God! I view 1 Peter 4:6 in light of: through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water (1 Peter 3:19-20) This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." (What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) (Ephesians 4:8-10) But the righteousness that is by faith says: "Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ " (that is, to bring Christ down) "or ‘Who will descend into the deep?‘" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (Romans 10:6-7) Scripture complements Scripture, offering us a more rounded understanding of the Word! From the above Scriptural passages we can gather that Christ did descend into a realm beyond our temporal existence and that He did preach to those who had been long dead prior to His incarnation. Clearly, I am not suggesting that the Apostles nor anyone outside of Christ has the ability to preach to the dead; this once in a lifetime happening came and went! This particular revelation could have been made by God to assure those who, whether out of genuine concern or out of skepticism, would question the death of so many seemingly innocent people (including children and infants) in the Old Testament’s Writings. To limit 1 Peter 4:6 to figurative speech would be to diminish Christ's Work of Redemption: For the love of Christ overwhelms us when we consider that if one man died for all, then all have died; his purpose in dying for all humanity was that those who live should live not any more for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15) In Revelation 1:7 we find the same mingling of worlds (temporal and spiritual) as both those who are alive or died in Christ as well as those who did not believe in Him will come to witness His Coming in Glory: Look, he is coming on the clouds; everyone will see him, even those who pierced him, and all the races of the earth will mourn over him. Indeed this shall be so. Amen. Everything is possible to God as His Way is waaaaay above our ways! God Bless! Angel |
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733 | Those who died before Jesus' death | 1 Pet 4:6 | JCrichton | 138504 | ||
Hi, Lisa G! 1 Peter 3:18-20 further explains 1 Peter 4:6... Jesus Himself tells us that the dead will hear His voice and that those that hear (listen/believe), will have Life! With the millions of babies being killed by abortionists and their corrupt doctors, I am sure that the Holy Spirit visits each and every babe to teach him/her about Jesus (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:10-13; Romans 8:26-27)... some would argue that babes cannot know Christ because they are not cognizant of the world, let alone the Gospel... yet the contrary is quite factual: babes recognize their Mom's voice, their father's and close relations even from the womb... and when the womb is assaulted babes retract, seeking refuge from the intruder's murderous tools! Not only that, but it is Biblical that even babes in their Mom's wombs can receive the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:36-44)... true, this was a very special situation (the Lord's precursor was being visited by the Lord Himself!)... but the fact remains that it was through the Holy Spirit that Jesus, barely deposited in His Mom's womb reached out to John the Baptist, only six months into his Mom's pregnancy... further, Elizabeth herself recognizes that Mary is the Mother of he Lord--this even before a word is said to her by Mary! It is God who ultimately decides who goes to Heaven and who does not (Matthew 7:21-23)... to God all life is precious and just as He stepped in when Israel's shepherds deserted their commission, I am sure that He steps in whenever a single babe's life is robbed from him/her! God Bless! Angel |
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734 | Angel, How is the Bible incomplete? | 1 Pet 4:6 | JCrichton | 139058 | ||
Hi, Searcher! Have you read the Bible in its entirety? Do you think you know God's Design from reading it? During which stage of Creation were the angels created? When precisely did Lucifer turn 1/3 of the angels against God? When are we to meet Jesus? When are we to change from the carnal body into the spiritual?... the Bible contains general information about all of these topics, yet we are not given the precise information to conclusively state "it happened exactly..." Salvation is granted to us as a Gift; Jesus purchased us at a price... yet how and who is purchased is not revealed to the complete knowledge of God--we are given the necessary working-information so that we might be able to understand God's Gift as it pertains to part of His Design: our repentance, obedience and abiding in God... yet for us to contend that we know God's depths (who He is and how He does everything) would only be to deceive ourselves, for what man knows the mind of God that he should instruct Him! (1 Corinthian 2:16) When we realize that all of our collective knowledge (humanity's) only begins to scratch God's surface (and that because He allows us that much); we may begin to humble ourselves and begin our spiritual growth! "What do we need to add to the Bible?" It is the Holy Spirit that completes all revelation! If we simply read the text of the Bible and jump into one of hundreds/thousands of interpretations we are not searching and preaching the Truth, we are seeking adulation from humanity! Christ tells us that He is the Resurrection and Life and that those who come to Him will Live; yet to come to Him we must be born of the Holy Spirit! The text of the Bible does not complete Salvation--in this the Bible is not complete! It is the Holy Spirit who completes, in us, Jesus' Sacrifice... for anyone to claim that Salvation is a matter of text and not of the Holy Spirit, it would be the same as claiming to be saved by our own powers: "Just grab a formula or two and your in!" There are people offering formulas for Salvation--this is done all over town, everywhere... they offer these formulas (made by human minds and hands) as guarantors of Eternal Salvation... Never mind that Jesus calls us to repentence, baptism and fellowship! One of these formulas demands that for all to be saved they must know Jesus--that outside of this formula there is no salvation! This of course diminishes God's Power and Mercy as infants and the mentally handicapped may die well before being able to "know" Jesus--there's not a single once of mercy that can be found in this formula, yet many claim that it is Scripturally sound! The purport that only those who can know Jesus and learn to preach, perform miracles, speak in tongues... are to be saved! Yet, Jesus Himself tells us that not all who call Him Lord will enter into Heaven but those who do the Will of His Father--Jesus even offers an admonishion that cripples that brand of salvation (Matthew 7:21-27; Luke 6:46)... The Bible, as excellent as it is, does not replace God nor the fullness of God! When we exact salvation on our own "enlightened" understanding of Scripture and we remove the Holy Spirit from the actual rebirth (corporeal into spiritual) we are shortchanging God's Design! We are limiting by strictness of the text what the Holy Spirit does: Salvation is not a matter of codes and formulas, Salvation is a matter of God's Holy Spirit cleansing and resurrecting us into the Body (not the temporal body) of Christ! By following the letter of the text the masters of the law failed to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior, we do not better when we seek to know and limit God in our finite wisdom! The Bible contains all that God chose to reveal--in that the Bible is complete. The text of the Bible is not God nor God's fullness--in that the Bible is incomplete. The Paraclete, who Christ promised to send to us, brings us closer to God--as close as our limited understanding and spiritual standing can get; yet we know only partially, then we will know as we are known (1 Corinthians 13:12)... of course we can twist Scripture and we can claim that we know all that there is to know about God because we read Scripture... or we can humble ourselves and accept that the finite cannot absorb the completeness of the infinite! Salvation is Granted through the Holy Spirit (Hebrew 9:14); the Holy Spirit has no limits! God Bless! Angel |
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735 | Holy Spirit or holy spirit; (s)Spirit? | 1 Pet 4:6 | JCrichton | 139337 | ||
Hi, Ray! True, many people/congregations have some things right when it comes to God... and many of us have many things wrong... this does not mean that whenever someone/congregation comes up with a "new" definition or "revelation" it should be automatically received as correct doctrine. A quick reference: there are some, perhaps good-intended, people who want to tolerate homosexuality (not the person--the act) so that "all" may be saved! These people are clearly wrong! Not all will be saved; yet this is not because God Wills it so--it is due to our own determination that some human choose death instead of life! Spirit or spirit: Whenever Scripture speaks on the Holy Spirit, I will always emphesize by capitalizing the "H" and "S"; even if the reference is only as "Spirit!" Now, if the passage refers to our spirit (that portion of us that belongs to God's Holy Spirit or the Spirit of Christ or the Spirit of God)... I would not capitalize the "s." I would also apply the same rule if I am speaking/writing; this includes the word Holy--if it's a pronoun of God or if it signifies His Authority/Divinity. God Bless! Angel |
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736 | A SIN TO FILE BANKRUPTCY | 1 Pet 4:10 | JCrichton | 129697 | ||
Hi, lisakb! Bankruptcy - deliverately scheming to gain wealth or irresponsible behavior to leave someone else holding the bag? This would be no better than outright stealing! Bankrutcy - harship that occurs beyond our control (death or provider, excessive hospital bills, etc, natural catastrophe...)? This is the reason for the existence of such laws! However, Christians are quick to incorporate into the Body of Christ the practices of society as long as there is no Biblical text that denounces the particular practice/s in the a very specific language or text... I know that many people find it hard to believe that the Bible does hold the answers... though we do not find replys ad verbum, here's what the Scripture say: "You shall not steal. (Exodus 20:15) He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. (Ephesians 4:28) For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20) Clearly, as Christians we are obligated to a different criterion than secular society... where a person/corporation profits from fraudulent means, such as incurring massive expenses beyond financial resources only to seek relief through bankruptcy, we (those who seek to represent Christ) cannot involve ourselves in such machinations! We may easily work (use to our advantage) the temporal laws to satisfy our lust for material gain, but God's Laws will not be as easily circumvented! The stain on our spirit will be there well beyond the consumption of the ill-gotten loot! As Jesus said, what does is profit a man to gain the world (goods acquired through wrongfull use of the bankruptcy laws) if he loses his soul, his place with God? (Matthew 16:26) God Bless! Angel |
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737 | how to have a strong relationship with g | 1 Pet 5:6 | JCrichton | 123883 | ||
Hi, quick! Begin by humbly asking for wisdom and enlightenment (James 1:5). Study Hebrews' summary of Faith (Hebrews 11:1-40); life in the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:1-17); The Holy Trinity (John 14:15-25; 16:4-15); our dependence on Christ Jesus (John 15:1-17); a view of the spiritual battle and the persecution of Christ and his brethren (Genesis 3:15 and Revelation 12:1-18); God's call to repentence and to maintaining a close relationship with Him (Isaiah 1:18-20; Ezekiel 18:30-32); Christ calling (Revelation 3:20); and our inheritance (John 1:10-13). If you need additional Biblical references drop a line! God Bless! Angel PS: Begin your relationship (or Study) by honoring God--check your spelling when addressing God and His Divinity! |
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738 | answer quickly please! | 2 Pet 1:21 | JCrichton | 106851 | ||
I, just got back to a blank page--server problem! There are difficult writings in the Bible, i.e.: Genesis, Revelation, Ezikiel, Daniel, Jeremiah... But we must remember that symbolic language is not necessarily mythology and that science cannot prove all that it claims, nor disprove that which is spiritual. Many people get confused with the Bible because they seek clear cut answers to everything in the Bible and in the world. The Bible is not a recipe book, nor is it a historical book. Though it uses many forms of writings and though it includes recipes for both our spiritual and temporal life, the Bible is God's text book for humanity. The visions and expressions are always taking into account the Bible's trancendental prowess and the people they are affecting in the various time frames (contemporary and future generations). Let the Holy Spirit Guide you and you'll discover the Truth! (1 Corinthians 2:6-16) God Bless! |
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739 | Hell for devil and his angels? | 2 Pet 2:4 | JCrichton | 108523 | ||
Hi, sdtaylor99! Tim Moran and Makarios gave you the correct passages; but we must not think that since it mentions that hell was created for the devil and his angels there is no hell for the wicked (sinners, unbelievers): and anybody whose name could not be found written in the book of life was hurled into the burning lake. (Revelation 20:15) God Bless! |
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740 | Bible study. Any suggestions? | 1 John | JCrichton | 151178 | ||
Hi! You may choose to do topical presentations... this allows you to gear every lesson to the immediate concern of the group... I pesonally enjoy these as they can cover various books at once, bringing both the Old and New Testament to bear... also, this format motives the group to work with topics that are applicable to the immediate Christian experience... I am willing to assist you in organizing the lessons, if you so desire, just dropt a line at: jcrichtonfs1@yahoo.com God Bless! Angel Angel |
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