Adriel wrote:
"Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, France's president from 1974 to 1981, has died at the age of 94." (BBC)
One of the things he was famous for and commended for, by many French people, was that he legalized abortion in his term in office.
Perhaps he is now before the judgment seat of God.

Darius wrote:
John Lee - have you been there and seen the munitions room? Do you know anyone there? They say there is a biblical mandate , no verse listed ? Maybe acts 5:29 , maybe “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:25‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://www.bible.com/59/heb.10.25.esv

As regards the other question, and the verse which leaders love to use to load up the guilt on escapees, there are a multitude of reasons why some do not attend their local church.

1. They have the bubonic plague, and will not be allowed in the doors.

2. They are in jail.

3. They are armless and legless and no-one can be bothered to bring them to church.

4. They see it as legalistic.

5. They are not a believer.

6. They are frightened of catching C19 from fellow believers.

7. They don't believe the name it/claim it doctrine.

8. They used to attend but were being continually attacked by fellow believers.

9. They don't believe Acts 5:29 relates to the situation.

What about all the Christians who lost their lives at the hands of the RCC? Hmmmm?

Didn't Jesus say to go buy a sword (semi-automatic)?

Oh I thought someone said that defending yourself was kosha. Maybe I misread that. Well anyway, the megachurch folks will name victory over the feds and therefore they know they will claim it.

So like lambs to the slaughter, on they go, like lemmings following someone, anyone, unthinking, uncaring, always going astray like sheep, who cannot cease from sin, clouds without water, still living under the OT, disobeying Jesus Christ and new covenant theology, unwilling to be persecuted; better fight back, show those wretches what we're made of; tired of being the tail, we're now the head, and those reprobates better watch themselves.

No wonder mission boards cannot get any takers; there is no love of God for the lost, not even lost feds. Modern man, and modern Christianity, has jettisoned the Bible (those old KJV's were always too heavy to carry) in favour of paperbacks and magazines about weaponry, strategy, and logictics.

HerbalMama wrote:
My mistake, John. Still am glad you have been blessed with being cold/flu free. My family suffered from the flu last year. I actually ended up going into a dramatic labor early but all is well that ends well. We all have our thorns in our side.
Thanks. I'll check out Steve's videos.

I'm glad that ended well for you.

Reformed Baptist wrote:
This council of “churches” is an abomination before the Lord.

[The Minnesota Council of Churches (MCC) is a state-level, judicatory-based council of Christian denominations with a mission to manifest the unity of the church in order to build the common good in the world. MCC pursues this mission by creating ecumenical and interfaith programmatic partnerships that work toward a vision of racial and social justice lived out in diverse communities throughout Minnesota. Therefore, MCC believes in and is committed to the core values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.]

He's a dreamer. Not all dreams are bad, some are given by God. But if this dreamer imagines the future will be better, he ought think again and start living in reality. Oh, and get converted, of course. He has a lot to repent of, leading over a billion people astray with false doctrine.

HerbalMama wrote:
Amen, John. It's inspiring how devoted Saints are.
Herbalism and Nutrition lead me to worship God even more. I can see why some make an idol of it. What God has created is so fascinating. If the UK is slow then I'm inclined to believe the states are even farther behind. 😒😞
A good diet will definitely keep the doctor away. So glad you have been blessed with 15yrs of good health. ❤
What kind of paint do you use? I'm adding watercolor and oil painting to my kids homeschool next year. Any good learning sources to recommend for a newbie?

There are a lot of people on YouTube who offer free tuition and I am often on there getting tips or watching reviews. For watercolour you could try Steve Mitchell, who may be a Christian because of his tendency to finish off with a great Bible verse on screen. He's American and has a nice manner.

Michael Hranek wrote:
John, Having trouble understanding you of late. Satire? Something else?

You know that we Christians have three enemies above all enemies: the world, the flesh, and the devil.

All three follow us around, every day, everywhere we go. The world surrounds us and seeks to conform us to its mould. In my post I hinted that the music of the world has infiltrated and now taken over the majority of churches. I have personally witnessed a so-called Christian rock group strutting its stuff at an evangelistic meeting, and my thought was.....

And don't forget, Michael, that in my leisure time as an unbeliever, I played in a rock band myself, so I was not opposed to heavy metal until my conversion. Jesus changed me.

How subtle is the devil, that in a short space of time, he can...

1. Totally remove the biblically warranted singing of psalms in churches.
2. Introduce the music which is accepted in the world into the church.

Quite right. There's far too much noise in the world today. And heavy metal/rock, despite being frowned upon by the majority in years gone by, is now heard every day in all sorts of circumstances, even replacing musak in supermarkets and lifts.

And with a name like "Kingdom Faith Ministries International Church" it is obviously not a Christian church, but some sort of dominionist, militant outfit, determined to blast the people into the kingdom of God with Black Sabbath, Uriah Heap, Motorhead, ZZ Top, and maybe a touch of Johnny Cash, a hint of reggae, and any other worldly music like, oh yes, Hillsong and their heavy metallers.

Watcher wrote:
Hi John,
Yes, Scotland is the land of the brave alright. It's a wonder how anyone of my family survived with all the hardships that buffeted them on all sides.
So you paint? That's wonderful. I also paint and woodwork which keeps me busy. I used to illustrate but with my joint pain, I find holding a pen uncomfortable after a half hour or so. If you have time, write me and we can talk further about our hobbies, Scotland and other interesting subjects.

HerbalMama wrote:
It's sarcasm, John. I'm not in a tight spot.
Rebellion against government is acceptable when the corrupt and lost overstep their boundaries. I, too, hope they continue to drop Bibles successfully.

Amen to the ongoing leaflet and Bible drop. It must take some logistics to get it right: wind direction, coupled with when and how to release literature, how much to release at a time etc, and other factors, like the height required etc. For me, evangelistic efforts like this reveal the love of God in the heart of a saint, which shows itself in self-sacrifice and longing for souls to be saved. Without this sort of motivation, and a genuine love for God and a desire to see Jesus receive the fruit of his suffering, there will be little or no harvesting of souls.

Psalms 126:5 KJV
(5)  They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

This is rare.

HerbalMama wrote:
Dang, that means..... we're in a tight spot. 🤷
This is quite the paradox.

I really appreciate the conviction of men like this, who are determined to reach NK's with the glorious gospel. The Lord bless them.

Do you remember what happened in Albania, the only country at that time which declared itself wholly atheistic? The sovereign God had better things for that country, and implemented them.

Adriel wrote:
“”rumors that a Christian man had posted a comment denigrating Islam on Facebook, according to reports.“”
Strange how Allah needs so much human intervention to protect his ‘good’ name.?????
If the Muslims are made in his image it would seem he is a very hostile and belligerent god.

Mike wrote:
Off subject, John, but I was wondering if you still do your paintings?

Watcher wrote:
Unfortunately yes, I was born in this country. I would give almost anything to move to my homeland and drink in the history and environment of my people. I do like a warmer ocean though, the Atlantic up in the north can be an awful beast to contend with.
If the world was a safer place, I would love to visit the mid-east and walk where my Lord walked, and stand where He was crucified in my place. I think that would be very sobering and put a lot into perspective.

Watcher wrote:
Yes, getting tanned is something me family is foreign to for sure. We're as white as ghosts. My family came over in the 1700s to settle in Canada. Immigration was big then and everyone thought Canada was the land of promise. I suppose it was better than Scotland was at that time. My dream is to live near the ocean, as I have always been drawn to it, and spent many happy hours soaking up the air and water, looking for shells and what-not.
What part of Wales are ye from, lad?

Watcher wrote:
Coming from a Scottish background, I completely understand! Aye...me whole family comes from Inverness where the men wore kilts and the women were bonny for sure!

Adriel wrote:
But John I thought we lived in a democracy???