Christian Photographers Community

I think the words of this hymn are wonderful...







   

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I don't think God "arbitrarily" chooses some and not others to become Christians ...    My Bible says He loved us before He even created the world ... He created it, and it was GOOD, then He created man in His own image ... because He wanted that close fellowship with him.  He even came and walked in the cool of the day with them ... but then man blew it!  He disobeyed and that is a sin.  God cannot look upon sin so the fellowship was broken.  Man was expelled from the garden.  From that time onward--all through the old testament--men looked for a way to regain that fellowship and failed.  In John 3:16 we read that "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son ..."  God still loved the world ... He always had ... and knew that, since all are born in sin (since Adam) there were none righteous.  How His heart must have hurt all through the centuries when He could not look on sin, and yet He still loved us! Only His son had that intimacy of fellowship that they'd had in the garden.  Only His son could reconnect us to His love ...  We sing a chorus that goes like this:  "He came from heaven to earth to show the way..."  the way back into that fellowship with God.  "From the earth to the cross my debt to pay..."  We owed a debt we could never, ever, pay!  He paid it all for us!  He gave us life... and that abundantly.  It all takes our belief in Him as the Son of God, the Christ, and our Savior, and our repentance of sin and our acceptance of this great gift of salvation/restoration.

end of sermon!  

Larry Hanna - how nice to see you here!  Hope Pat is feeling better real soon.

Hi to everyone and hope y'all had a good Sunday.  We enjoyed a guest speaker from Nashville this morning and again tonight.  He was a very dynamic preacher!

I attended a Bridal Tea this afternoon and when I asked for tea, I was offered either coffee or punch.  Now can you imagine that!!  I even wore my hat.

Aaawww, JOAN    

Thanks for further explaining Al.  I was a bit confused as to what you meant too.  I think I understand now, though.  Basically what you were saying was before I was a Christian, I did good things, but they were not done in Christ's love, because I did not have Christ.  right?

Is predestination the same election thingy you are talking about?  If so, when i was in college, I had a friend that had been taught and believed that doctrine.  Because there was none of his denomination in the college town where we were, he was attending the same Baptist church I was.  After Sunday School one morning, he asked the Sunday School teacher how he could know if he was one of the elected.  (Keep in mind this is a Baptist church, and predestination is not one of our doctrines).  Roger responded that if he wanted to seek the truth, and to know Christ's love and pardon from sin (which my friend professed), then he must have been one of the chosen.  Maybe it was oversimplified, but it made sense to me.  Whether or not we were elected before the beginning of time, I think we still have a responsiblity to witness to all, because only God knows, right?  (Mieka, you ahve encouraged me to ask questions now!).  

LOL, Karma...  I was brought up in the Baptist church and any I attended always taught it!  

Pat, that is hilarious.  I had never even heard of it until I went to college!!  Maybe I've just been in the wrong Baptist churches!!!!

It's ok, Karma!  The little Baptist church I went to in Northern Ireland was where I really learned a lot about the Doctrines of Grace and in Jarvis St. Baptist in Toronto where I was from the age of nine, I guess we heard sermons on it nearly every Sunday.   I'm sure that you have heard of Charles Spurgeon...well he was a strong believer in this as are nearly all of the Puritans who I just love to read.  Downstairs on a shelf on one of our bookshelves are the complete works of John Gill and what a wonderful writer he is!  Actually, I've just done a search and found that all those books are right on the net!!!  John Gill

Amazing--this internet!!

Enough with the jig saw puzzles!;D  I have company coming week after next and I'll never be ready.  Especially with a trip to Elizabethtown and another to Delmar next week .  Plus, I don't even have time to put up cards and that's really a shame.    Of course, I didn't find out you could change the shapes or "cheat" until I had done all of them.  

Ms Karmat I am So glad so see you ask the questions too. I start to feel I am the only one that does not know any answers.

If God knows already what events will happen, does he also know what we will choose before we choose it?  

Judas, a non-believer, walked with Christ for three years as one of the disciples. He blended so well that when Christ told them that one of them would betray Him, they were mystified as to who it might be.

Are we not here to show God we can choose good over evil? But Judas was not able to choose?

Well, I'm just so happy to read that you did all those puzzles, Jeanne!  Forget the company!  HAHAHAHA!

What  great service we had tonight. After a powerful worship service and with the spirit still moving Both the Pastor and Peggy ministered the word. They preached on the 7 points of Jehoshaphats prayer in 2 Chron. 20. Plus the 3 main points that are Fasting, Prayer and Praise. Then Peggy offered up a powerful prayer for the families of the church and for deliverance from all bondages to be broken by the power of God and put the devil under our feet. WOW!is all I can say. WOW AGAIN. It was powerful.

  the puzzles make me crazy. I can not do them.

Thanks for further explaining Al.  I was a bit confused as to what you meant too.  I think I understand now, though.  Basically what you were saying was before I was a Christian, I did good things, but they were not done in Christ's love, because I did not have Christ.  right?
Is predestination the same election thingy you are talking about?  If so, when i was in college, I had a friend that had been taught and believed that doctrine.  Because there was none of his denomination in the college town where we were, he was attending the same Baptist church I was.  After Sunday School one morning, he asked the Sunday School teacher how he could know if he was one of the elected.  (Keep in mind this is a Baptist church, and predestination is not one of our doctrines).  Roger responded that if he wanted to seek the truth, and to know Christ's love and pardon from sin (which my friend professed), then he must have been one of the chosen.
Karma - that's exactly what I meant.  Boy am I glad I explained clearly enough for you to understand what I was saying!  That's unusual for me!  Also - your friend Roger explained things very, very well!  If any of us seek Christ, then it's obvious we were of the chosen, because otherwise we wouldn't have so sought.  After all, we're told that we're "dead in trespasses and sins" in our natural state.  Try preaching to a dead man sometime.  They don't hear so well.  But if God by His Spirit brings someone to life first, then they can hear.  But whom does He bring to life?  Why those whom He has chosen, those whose names were written in the Lamb's book of life before the foundation of the world.

I figured out how to do the puzzles on the computer at home!!  One of the browsers will, the other will not.  

I just need more "work space."  I like to spread out when I am working a puzzle!!

  I undarstand it too now Mr Moak.
((((:HUG))))

I needed that, Mieka!  Thank you!  May God use me to bless you.

Well, Al, I get a blessing whenever I read your posts!  

  I get two  

LOL, Mieka!  

Well, since I have to get up at 6 am to take my son-in-law to work I think I'll close the door on this NEM for tonight.

But I see EIGHT members online right now so hopefully there will be lots of messages for Anthony to read when he gets up!

Good Morning Anthony!!

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