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All responses Most smiled responses
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asked by AyyKrisdayNormal... maybe. Does that mean you should give up... no way! My challenge for you is this: I don't think you even know the most basic truth, the fundamental belief of Christianity and therefore I can imagine that you would feel confused. PLEASE come talk to me specifically about this.
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Well thanks for the video link. I'll come back to that in a minute, but first, your questions. I will only be brief because I already answered this question if you go to my profile and scroll down, hit the show more answers button a couple times, you will find them.
For starters, it has never been the case that one day a bunch of book store owners found a new book on their shelf called the Bible. There was not a date when some publisher announced a new book called the Bible. The bible was composed through a very intense process involving God speaking directly to and through people, letters being compiled, councils of people diligently and prayerfully discussing which ones were written by people whose lives matched what they said and who were first hand witnesses, etc. There were tremendous amounts of things involved in getting the bible we have today. The Book of Mormon and the Koran were both books authored or compiled by one man, the Bible is not like that. The diversity of Spirit-led contributors who all combine to form one clear message shows that the Bible was not just made up. The Bible must be studied, not just randomly read here or there. Please read the other posts though for a better explanation.
As far as the video, I have a challenge for you. write down the point the atheists make, the rebuttals, and bring them to me and lets talk about them. Almost every single point they used to try and support their side actually advocated for the existence of God, they just didn't realize it. Seriously, come talk to me about it at Valley and we can go through each point. It would take much to long on here. -
Thanks for asking! This is probably the kind of question that can best be answered in person, because it is hard to just give some catch-all, bandaid answer to solve or fix the problem. There are a few general things, like come tonight (Nov 16th) to Flashpoint because we are talking about trusting God, also you probably need to examine your life and see if there is some sin you are indulging in (pride, bitterness, unforgiveness, selfishness, lust, hatred, etc). Romans 1 talks about how God turns people over to their sin, basically meaning they get less and less conviction and concern for their spiritual life the more they reject God's voice. Still though, you probably need to talk to somebody directly about this, and that somebody should be a mature Christian adult. I am open, or other leaders here at Valley. Please examine your heart and get in touch with somebody you can share more personally with about this!
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hmmm... call me or Laura here at the church and let us know who you are and we can get it figured out
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Wow, thanks for being honest... I don't know that I can give you much in this kind of interaction that will help. My guess is you know that the Bible is pretty clear that we should flee from anything that causes us to sin. With sexual sin, it gets even harder because we usually care for the other person and they might want to keep going when you want to stop. I will say this: According to the scripture, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is alive and at work in the heart of every person who is a believer. If you are saved and have the Holy Spirit alive in you, you don't have to rely on your own power or strength, you get a much better, stronger power that you can run to. When you feel the Spirit bringing warning or conviction, that is the time to get away from the situation. You are NOT trapped at that point, you can still get away. Do you want to be in control of yourself or let lust control you? You are able to fight if you depend on the Holy Spirit, but you might also need a close friend who is helping hold you accountable daily, and you need to pray hard every single day for the strength. Also, in order to flee the strong temptations, you might need to break up with the person. I know it sounds extreme, but how much do you want to let sin hurt you? My boss says it like this: Sin leaves scars, how big do you want your scars to be? Is it important to you to save yourself for marriage? How important? If it is really a priority, you will break up the relationship. I would HIGHLY encourage you to keep your purity. YOU CAN DO IT when you trust in Christ and rely on others.
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Well to sign up you need to put a $20 deposit, so we know you are serious about wanting to go. After that, you are more than welcome to make installments between now and then. Hope you can come!
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January 14-17th, yes the cabins have heat, sign ups are available now, come to Flashpoint or Sunday am and you will get plenty more details!!!
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Well, this is still kind of a hard question to answer, cuz I don't know exactly what you mean. Basically though, the Bible is constant in its condemnation of psychic power. What I'm thinking you mean by psychic abilities (tarot cards, palm readings, predicting future, etc) are definitely all sinful and the powers when real are given by Satan. There is no point in which "psychic abilities" are ever viewed as a good thing. Now, sometimes in the Bible prophecies take place in which God gives a follower of Him a specific message that applies to people they don't know, or a piece of info about the future that is true. Jesus fulfilled tons of prophecies. The difference is that in the case of a prophet, all glory is given to God and the message is about Him. Psychics claim they posses the power to do the things they do, and they are not for the sake of bringing glory to God. I would say that is probably a good rule to differentiate. So, to conclude, YES, upholding psychic abilities is sinful. If that isn't clear enough for what you are asking, please ask again.
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200.... a $25 deposit will hold your spot, and then the balance is 175, but fund raising should be available soon.
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We are working on providing a fund raiser where students will sell cards that offer a discount to 10-15 local businesses. These should be available by mid-November if all goes well. This is the starting point. Also, applications are available for assistance.
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I talked a lot in an earlier post about how all psychic power is demonic at its core. Any consulting of a psychic is very offensive to God. What do you mean by upholding abilities?
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I actually already answered this question below. You might have to click on the "read more answers" thing at the bottom. Basically though, you can trust the Bible, because God speaks generally through that. I can say God spoke to me when I read a passage, meditate on it, and better understand how God wants me to think or act. Read the other post though.
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Thanks for asking... I think this is one of the most common experiences in the Christian life, but often it goes un-discussed and the result is people feel like a failure and might give up on God because of that.
First off I think its important to realize that intimacy with God does not necessarily mean you have a constant experience of super-good warm fuzzy feelings. If you understand that Christ's death purchased permanent closeness to God (meaning you can't be pushed away from His love) for those who believe. The Bible says nothing can separate us (Christians) from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Romans 8:38-39). Hebrews 10 elaborates on the concept that God has given believers a permanent right-standing with Himself. So, even when we don't "feel" as close to God as we might have at another time, it doesn't automatically mean we are any more distant from Him. Hebrews 11 reminds us of many Old Testament people who clung to a promise from God that was going to take place in the future, even when they didn't see any results or progress at the time. That is the true definition of faith - trusting that what God has said about Heaven will apply, and living completely in light of that future reality even when we don't see it fulfilled, or don't see the steps in our day to day lives. I think this applies to us, that even though we won't always feel the closeness to God, we must continue to pursue Him constantly. Psalm 1 (read it!) says that the person who meditates day and night on God's word is like a tree planted by water, a tree that bears fruit IN SEASON. You might not always see the fruit of your relationship with God, but still, you always need to be making the effort to spend time alone studying and learning from His Word! It is not every time I talk to my wife that we experience some deep connection or special closeness, but those times spring from being in constant communication. I love her, so I spend time with her regularly. We get some amazingly deep, close times together but they can't be forced or planned. It seems more spontaneous than that. Spending regular time MEDITATING and STUDYING God's Word will allow you to have those "on fire" times. Without them though, you are much less likely to ever feel on fire.
It could be the case that you have allowed ongoing sin into your life. You could either know of something you have refused to obey God in, or you might be deceived. It may be a sin of omission (not doing something you are supposed to be doing) or a sin of commission (doing something you know is wrong). Either way, or if it just happens to be a dry time right now, here are two suggestions:
1) Revelation 2:4-5. Do the things you did when you were on fire (daily reading and prayer, you might even need to step it up and spend more time doing these than you did before).
2) Remember and meditate on what God has done for you. Joshua 4 and 1 Samuel 7:12 talk about setting up something to remember what God has done so that it will be an encouragement when you face hard times in the future.
Hope that helps. Don't forget that God often uses trials to grow us and remind us of our dependency on Him, so if something hard comes up, expect that God is at work through it! -
You aren't.
"The FOOL says in his heart 'There is no God'" -Psalm 53:1
"The wisdom of this world is FOOLISHNESS in God's sight"
-1 Corinthians 3:19 -
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People say that because they desire that the PERFECT Word of God would be treated with respect and honor. Its the same reason that some churches will stand when the Scripture passage is read. If you drop your bible, God is not going to strike you down because of it. I don't even know that I would call it a sin to set a bible on the ground for a minute, but it is definitely sinful to disrespect God so if you are purposely throwing it down, burning it, stomping on it, etc... then you really need to check yourself because God would not be a fan of that. A BIGGER ISSUE is whether or not you disrespect God in your heart, in your life. Matt 7:24-27 is not a story about beach/rock architecture, or having a good foundation in your life, it is saying that anyone who hears the Word of God AND OBEYS IT, that person is like the house built on a rock. The one who DISOBEYS God's Word is like a house on Sand! Be respectful to your bible because it's God's Word, but be even more respectful in how you speak about God, whether or not you listen to Him, and how much you are willing to hear (read) His Word!
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He wasn't... Genesis 1:1 opens with God already existing, creating everything else (angels, planets, even light). There was no cosmic explosion before time or Grandpa-God or anything else that created God, he has always been! Chew on it for a bit... it will make your brain tired and it will cause you to go in a mental circle for hours. I guess that's why God is God and we are not, because his ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are beyond our thoughts. My brain can't make sense of it, but it is true!
God has always been and will always be! He is the GREAT "I AM". -
Gosh that is a good question... I hope it is more hypothetical for you than a real situation right now. And, if this is your way of asking cuz you are thinking of suicide, PLEASE call me here at the church or let me know on facebook or talk to some mature Christian adult who is in your life! I have been inches away from suicide more than once and would love to talk to you if you need help. Also 1-800-HIT-HOME.
My answer for this is dependent upon the reality of the person's faith. By that I mean that many people claim to be Christians who are not (according to all the scripture says about bearing spiritual fruit, growing in worship and love, fleeing more and more from sin, etc) and for that kind of person or any person who is not TRULY a believer, the only expectation when they die is Hell. God is ultimately the one who knows who is saved and who is not. If there is ANY DOUBT or ANY CHANCE the person might not be saved, then I would say HELL is a very possible reality if they kill themselves. MANY PEOPLE are deceived about their spiritual standing before God, and according to Jesus' parable about the sower, there are many people who seem like a real Christian for a while but give up on the faith later and prove they were never really saved.
Another thing to consider is that God tells us He will use trials (hard situations in life) to grow us. Suicide is often contemplated when life seems hopeless because of some tough span of months, or even years. Joseph in Genesis (think colorful coat Joseph, not the husband of Mary) was sold by his family, falsely accused of rape, imprisoned and abandoned, but God ultimately used those things to get him into a position of power that lead to being able to save an entire race of people! The apostle Paul talked about how hard life was and actually says his desire was to "depart and be with Christ" but ultimately he knows that persevering through his suffering was more important because God still wanted to use Him to encourage and grow others. Again, if you are considering suicide, GOD IS NOT FINISHED WITH HIS PLANS FOR YOU ON THIS EARTH!!!
So the question to ask is probably "Could a truly saved person ever commit suicide?" Suicide is murder or a human life. Believe it or not, your life is not yours to decide what happens with it, but it belongs to God and should be both permanently and constantly given over to Him. It is definitely a sin to kill yourself, one which God will not take lightly. The Christian life involves persevering to the end, and the Bible says those who do that are the ones who are truly saved. Now, it might on rare occurrences for some strange reason (mental illness, etc.) happen that a true believer commits suicide. Though it is a sin, I believe that person will be in heaven because Jesus' blood covers true believers once for all, BUT, IF A PERSON IS CONSIDERING SUICIDE, and thinks they are saved so it is just a fast track to escape pain and get to heaven, I WOULD SERIOUSLY QUESTION THEIR SALVATION!!! Again, if this is you, please call me or get help from another, your life has soo much more joy than you know! -
Unfortunately ninjas did... we tried it and I was a pirate... seriously disappointing
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Volleyball Madness, where students come together and go mad for Christ.
