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sepialunaris · 5 years ago

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The thing is, I know Kyle was gonna be redeemed in the last movie, like almost everybody would know that disney would choose that road. But do I like the way they executed it? No. Its no surprise, its just disappointment. Honestly we were clowns that disney would even break the mold and embrace that their story mustn't always mean redemption, but still deep down we knew it would be like that. We just hoped that it wouldn't be.

Kyle is a metaphor of neo-nazis and shares incel characteristics. There has been no valid reason to root for his redemption, and there has been no significant flashback showing how he was when he was good. We don't sympathize with him and TLJ was supposed to do that and it only made me dislike him when I was neutral with him in TFA. And his redemption fell flat after all the murderous shit he did throughout the era and well at the beginning of the movie. And then his redemption falls flat. So at this point why even redeem him at all? Just make him a full evil interesting villain, an actual reverse Vader. That would make a satifying narrative than a halfassed attempt of redemption that has been thrown away in TLJ and when jj started the movie with him murdering people.

And then people argue, Vader or sometimes Maul, they got redeemed but no one complained. Well because they are not like Kyle. Anakin suffered throughout his life from both Palp's machinations and the world around him, he was a slave and was selarated from his mother Shmi that loved him most and was unable to save her, he has a support system that keeps falling apart (Ahsoka being framed and leaving, Obi-Wan hiding shit from him and him doing the same, Padme being overcome by her feelings that her groundedness when with Ani), and Anakin is overly selfless that it becomes selfish, he is motivated by love but goes to extreme measures that is destructive for himself and the people he loves. It made it easy to see why he fell. Not condoning his actions as Vader but you get a sense of tragicness in his story. Narratively, he got redeemed in the end, but no one, not even in legends, absolved Anakin off his sins. Leia, both in canon and legends, hated Vader, her abuser, even after knowing he is her father. And once she understood why Anakin fell, she still didn't forgive him. Vader is still demonized by the galaxy, and the traumatized people under his rule are validated as well instead of being brushed off as "he's not like that anymore." Anakin might've done one last good thing in his life after decades of evil and he might become a force ghost, but his legacy of terror can never be erased and it is forever tainted, which he does indeed deserve despite how tragic it is.

Maul, was a child that has been abused from childhood to adulthood by Sidious. Stolen from his family and tortured. And then when he 'died' his master cut all ties from him. And he launches his vengeful quest against Obi-Wan. You understand that he jas tragic past too, but unlike Anakin he had no room to grow and try to become good because he was abducted and tortured for so long. He neevr chose this path, Obi-Wan even told him this. But he does have layers and limits, like how he genuinely loved his brother and mother, and regrets their loss when he tried to find Ezra as his apprentice slash brother. You can sympathize with him but you also understand that with no chance to bloom, he is malice and evil embodied. And this means his death was not redemption, he might've had a brief moment of kinship with Obi-Wan but it doesn't mean he is good now. We just feel bad about him that's it, nothing more. And Obi-Wan understands this, that he never had a chance to escape revenge and the dark side, and comforts the person who had hurt him so much in his last moments.

Now Kyle. Kyle had everything. Kyle came from a loving household and people that cared for him. Leia, Luke, and Han cared for him so much and i believe that when they felt Palps or Snoke was influencing him, they tried to stop him, only ultimstely Ben chose to follow Snoke. He had no tragic backstory or any past pain to motivate his fall, its only his quest for power and completing his grandpa's 'legacy.' Palpatine had reason to manipulate Anakin in a guise of doing good, wanting to save the people he loved, but what would he promise to kyle? power. And that's the line. Anakin fell for love, kyle fell for power. All the pain he felt, he inflicted on himself, because he wanted to be more powerful. Killing Han Solo, would make him powerful, kill Han Solo he did. How are we supposed to sympathize with this?

However this doesn't mean this is bad, in fact this makes him interesting. When done correctly it could've been intriguing. Kyle is one of the few dark siders that chose just for the sake of it, and is actually conflicted by the light. Just like how someone in a good family could subscribe to radical doctrines despite their upbringing. The problem is post TFA and the fandom tends to woobify him and his mistakes. Ben solo did do wrong, heck he might've been more wrong than the cooler previous sith lords we already have in the movies, choosing evil for no selfless reason and without a tragic history of pain. There is no reason for erasing this. Yet here we are, we're kyle's inner conflicts sre protrayed as his tragic suffering when he brought it upon himself and he gets turned into some hero character. And I feel like this is why his redemption didn't work. Anakin fell for love, returned also for love (even if it didn't repent him). Ben fell for power and suddenly he went back because he felt guilty about it? We have no clear image of the person Ben was before he fell so its hard to empathize with him or his redemption, then just might as well make him full villain or at the very least if he is to be good at the last second, don't make him romance his enemy/victim and don't treat like his old sins don't matter because.....

Excluding other media, the Vader in the original trilogy has never been shown to be explicitly killing innocent people as often. The Death Star may or may not count but it wasn't his direct doing. Kylo already killed villages of innocent people personally (because we disinclude DS so I'll disinclude Starkiller Base, even if Kyke never showed disapproval of it unlike Vader). There is a jarring conteast on how kyle is frequently shived to our faces as a "murderous dude that likes to common cultural cleansing" while Vader in the movies is more of a "cruel general to his enemies." Because of this his redemption in the movie doesn't feel flat, yet the other media show us he is truly more than that and his past sins and actions still echo through the galaxy. Kyle is murderous on screen and when he suddenly gets redeemed without any remembrance of the victims he killed, my reaction would be like "wait what how about the innocent peeps that didn't know about him that he killed at the start of the movie." Its a thread that left loose to facilitate the white boy redemption that didn't need to happen. And Rey herself treats it like an afterthought too, kissing the evil incel boy despite knowing what he has done.

Tl;dr: Kyle is a worse villain than Ani because he chose the dark side for power while ani did it for love, which would've made his character interesting if they didnt treat him like some tragic angel

#saw some people complaining that we have no common sense fro whining like we didn't expect it #yes we did we just dont like how it was executed #tros spoilers #anti reylo #anti tros #anti tlj #anti rian johnson #anti rj #tros #star wars #sw #star wars the rise of skywalker

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pamphletstoinspire · 5 years ago

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The Prophetic Saint Who Foretold What the End of the World Will Be Like

When the pope used the term “Angel of the Apocalypse” in the Middle Ages, people knew he was talking about St. Vincent Ferrer

St. Vincent Ferrer earned the title preaching the Gospel powerfully and persuasively, often on the Final Judgment and the coming of the Antichrist. Even Pius II’s Bull of Canonization called St. Vincent Ferrer “the Angel of the Apocalypse, flying through the heavens to announce the day of the Last Judgment, to evangelize the inhabitants of the earth.”

This year marks the 600th anniversary of St. Vincent Ferrer’s death on April 5, 1419, yet his words remain as powerful and necessary as ever. Before looking at his preaching on the Last Judgment, the Antichrist and the End of the World, let’s understand how powerful a preacher he was all over Europe, beginning in his native Spain, by looking at a mere speck of who he reached and the miracles he performed.

As a Dominican priest, Vincent Ferrer preached in his own native language or Latin, yet wherever he went, everyone miraculously understood his every word as if he were preaching in their language. Sinners by the thousands, even the most hardened, repented. When the curious Moorish king sent for him, after Vincent Ferrer gave just three sermons, 8,000 Moors converted and wanted to be baptized. Modest estimates put his conversion of Jews in city after city in Spain at 25,000.

At one major Church conference, Vincent’s preaching saw 14 of 16 rabbis converted on the spot. In Toledo as Jews became Christians they turned their synagogue into a church under the Blessed Mother.

Like Jesus raising the widow of Naim’s son, thorough the power of Christ St. Vincent stopped a funeral procession and commanded the corpse to rise, restoring the dead man to life. In all, he restored 28 dead people back to life. Even after he died, two dead people placed on his tomb came back to life.

He cured countless physical infirmities, working wonders through the name of Jesus and the Sign of the Cross. In one, he restored the use of the limbs of an incurably crippled boy who eventually became the Bishop of Barcelona.

In confession, he could read souls. He shared heavenly previews of future events, such as telling a mother her little son would become pope and canonize him — which happened as the boy became Callixtus III. (At the canonization Vincent Ferrer’s body was found incorrupt.) Earlier, during a Barcelona famine, he announced two ships were coming loaded with corn. Nobody believed. That same day, as predicted, the ships arrived.

Highly devoted to the Blessed Mother, he preached and demonstrated the power of the Rosary through immediate conversion obtained through praying it.

Preaching the Last Judgement

Jesus will come not like his first coming in humility and poverty, but “in such majesty and power that the whole world will tremble,” began Angel of the Apocalypse in a sermon. When he powerfully detailed the glory and the horror of separating the sheep and goats described in Matthew 25, record has it sinners were frightened and cried. He wanted them to do so because he himself was fearful of that day and fearful for all those he preached to.

Vincent told the throngs:

People will say ‘to the mountains and the rocks: Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of him who sits upon the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb’ (Revelation 6:16). Yet Jesus said, ‘But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads,’ ‘because your redemption is at hand’ (Luke 21:28).The Blessed Mother shall sit with him. Jesus will separate the peoples of the nations as a shepherd separates sheep from goats.

St. Vincent cautioned, “On that day it will be better to be a sheep of Jesus Christ that to have been a pope, or king, or emperor.”

Vincent powerfully detailed five virtues revealed in Scripture that distinguishes the sheep: “simple innocence, ample mercy, steadfast patience, true obedience, and worthy penance.”

First, simple innocence is when a person “lives simply, nor hurts anyone in his heart, by hating, nor by defaming in speech, nor striking with hands, nor by stealing. Such a life “is called simple innocence, which makes a man a sheep of Christ.”

In each case, St. Vincent next colorfully details reasons why. A sheep doesn’t attack with horns like a bull...

...nor bite with its teeth like a wolf, nor strike with hooves like a horse… if you wish to be a sheep of Christ, you should strike no one with horns of knowledge or of power, for lawyers strike by the horns of knowledge, jurists, advocates, or men who have great knowledge. Merchants by deceiving others. Lords and bullies strike with the horns of power, plundering or injuring, and extorting, using calumnies and threats, and the like. Listen to what the Lord says by the mouth of David: ‘And I will break all the horns of sinners: but the horns of the just shall be exalted’ (Psalm 74:11).

“Biting” is to defame your neighbor’s reputation, and devour by saying “nothing good praising someone, but only the bad,” so “defamers are not the sheep of Christ, but wolves of hell.”

Kicking like horses means to despise. Therefore, he warns, “children, do not hate your parents; nor parents, children; nor young people, old folks; nor the healthy, the sick; nor rich, the poor; nor masters, their servants; nor prelates, their clergy; and vice versa. It is clear what is simple innocence.”

Second, ample mercy means distributing your God-given temporal and spiritual gifts to the needy. “Because,” Vincent illustrates, “among all the animals a sheep is the most beneficial of animals. For the sheep by growing wool, shows us mercy and benefits of mercy, because how many poor people does a sheep clothe?” Sheep give milk and food to eat to. We imitate and give love this way: our wool is “external and temporal goods, bread and wine, money and clothes and the like.” The milk is “interior and spiritual goods, by giving good teaching to the ignorant… If you have the milk of knowledge, of devotion, or of eloquence, you should give to those not having them.” Vincent reminds of Jesus telling the sheep, “For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink... naked, and you covered me” (Matthew 25:35-36).

Third, steadfast patience takes different forms, such as when someone “suffering from injuries inflicted or spoken to him does not want to concern himself with taking revenge. Rather he loves everyone in general, and prays for them all.” The analogy? The “sheep is a most patient animal, for if harassed while eating, or if struck, it does not defend itself, but goes elsewhere, nor does it avenge itself like a dog or a goat would do, but humbly yields. O blessed is the person, man or woman, who has such patience, and takes no vengeance for injuries, but forgives, as God forgives him.”

Fourth, true obedience means ordering all thoughts, words and actions according to God’s will, not ours, just as sheep are so obedient that a child with a staff easily “can easily guide 30 or 40 sheep.” Remember Psalm 23? Remember Jesus illustrating the shepherd was able to leave 99 safely alone as he searched for the lost sheep?

Vincent Ferrer’s simple summary for the shepherd’s commands includes these: “First that we live humbly” because Jesus said “learn of me, because I am meek, and humble of heart” (Matthew 11:29). Those with pride aren’t Christ’s sheep but the devil’s goat. Second, give with mercy and generosity. Who “disobediently goes by the way of avarice by committing usury, robbery, theft, etc., is not a sheep of Christ, but a goat of the devil.” Next, we must “walk by the way of cleanness, of chastity, etc.” Matthew 19:12). “Whoever therefore goes by the way of uncleanness and the filthiness of lust and carnality, such is not a sheep of Christ but a goat of the devil.”

Fifth, worthy penance must be performed for sins we’ve committed. The Angel of the Apocalypse emphasizes no one is exempt from sin, As Ecclesiastes (7:21) noted, “For there is no just man upon earth that does good, and sins not.”

“Therefore worthy penance is necessary, by sorrowing for sins and proposing not to relapse, confessing, and making satisfaction. And in this way penance makes a man a sheep of Christ.” To make the analogy, he explains in detail how a sheep is modest, but concludes a goat reflects “the notoriously shameless person, because everyone knows his wicked life and sins, like wicked clergy, and other notorious cohabiters, nor do they wish to cover it up with the tail of penitence; they are impenitent.”

The End of World and the Antichrist

St. Vincent Ferrer not only preached about these in detail but explained them in a letter to Pope Benedict XIII in 1412. Because his sermon is very long, encompassing explanations that focus on Luke 21:25-28, we’ll touch only on the highlights.

Jesus “warns us of the great evils and tribulations which are to come at the end of the world, and tells us of the signs which will precede His coming in judgment,” the Angel of the Apocalypse begins. He knew the Bible by heart and connected everything to Scripture.

God doesn’t leave us clueless. In his mercy, he often sends signs, “so that people forewarned of impending tribulation by means of these signs, through prayer and good works, may obtain in the tribunal of mercy a reversal of the sentence passed against them by God the judge in the heavenly courts; or at least by penance and amendment of life, may prepare themselves against the impending affliction.” Remember Noah, and Jonah?

Three of the “greatest and most terrible” afflictions will be “Antichrist, a man but a diabolical one; second, the destruction by fire of the terrestrial world; third, the universal judgment. And with these tribulations the world will come to an end.” Providence will give us warning signs in the heavens — sun, moon and stars.

The first is “Antichrist, a diabolical man, who will bring distress on the whole world.” He will deceive Christians in four ways.

First, in the sign of the sun (Luke 21:25).Vincent Ferrer explains, “In Holy Scripture Christ is called the Sun… Taking the word etymologically, we have: S-O-L (Super omnia lucens) – ‘Shining above all things’… God the Father sent Him into the world, saying: ‘But unto you who fear my name the Sun of justice shall arise’ (Malachi 4:2).” So what’s the sign given by the sun for arrival of the enemy?

St. Vincent reveals St. Matthew gives it precisely: “The sun will not give its light.” How’s that? Vincent explains the sun will and cannot be darkened in itself, but only when clouds obscure it:

In the same way, in the time of Antichrist, the Sun of justice will be obscured by the interposition of temporal goods and the wealth which Antichrist will bestow on the world, inasmuch as the brightness of faith in Jesus Christ and the glow of good lives will no longer shine among Christians. For, lest they should lose their dominion, temporal rulers, kings and princes will range themselves on the side of Antichrist. In like manner, prelates for fear of losing their dignities, and religious and priests to gain honors and riches, will forsake the Faith of Christ and adhere to Antichrist. Now he will be a veritable man, but so proud that, not only will he desire to have universal dominion in the whole world, but will even demand to be called a god, and will insist on receiving divine worship.

The evil one will be able to accomplish because Daniel (11:43) prophesies — ‘He shall control the riches of gold and silver and all the treasures of Egypt.’ “With this wealth he will gather together in arms all the nations of the world, to fight against those who oppose him — (Revelation 20:7)” and “seduce the nations” and “peoples, that is, with gold and silver and honors.”

St. Vincent continues, “There will indeed be signs in the Sun of justice, for then it will be obscured in the hearts of Christians, since from those hearts it will not give forth the light of Faith; all preaching of a better life will cease, owing to the interposition of… clouds of temporal goods.”

Materialism takes over.

St. Vincent tells us in every case why God all-powerful would permit this error the answer is the same — Wisdom 11:17: “By what things a man sinneth, by the same also is he tormented.”

“If therefore you do not wish to be deceived, now with all your hearts contemn and despise all earthly goods, and long for those of heaven, considering that the goods of this world are transitory and empty, while heavenly and celestial goods are eternal. In this way you will be strong.”

Next, signs in the moon. “In the Holy Scripture the moon signifies our holy Mother the Universal Church, which implies the worldwide union of Christians.” Reflecting the moon’s phases, the Church in the last phase “no longer in the state in which Christ founded it,” but “turned round to pride, pomp and vanity... mercy and liberality are changed into simony, usury and rapine; chastity becomes licentiousness, uncleanness and corruption; the brightness of virtue is changed into envy and malignity; temperance has become gluttony and voracity; patience has given place to anger, war and divisions among the peoples; diligence is superseded by negligence.”

Christ warned us: “There will arise false christs and false prophets. And they will show great signs and wonders in so much to deceive, if possible, even the elect” Matthew (24:24). Fooled with false “miracles.” “Since the people of the world sin against God by having recourse to the works of the devil, such as divination and fortunetelling… instead of laying their needs before the omnipotent God.” Think of all the occult around today.

Don’t be deceived but “place the whole of your faith and confidence in the name of Jesus Christ., and refuse to acknowledge any miracle unless it is worked in that same name; and so you will be strong against seduction.”

Third, “Stars shall fall from heaven,” Christ said (Matthew 24:29). Looking to Daniel (12:3), Vincent proves that refers to the masters, doctors, and licentiates in theology, some of whom “will fall from heaven, that is from the heights of the Faith (Daniel 11:36). Christ also permits this “because of the scandalous and wicked lives and the many sins” of some.

Christ warns us (24:21): “For there shall then be great tribulation such as hath not been from the beginning of the world until now, neither shall be. And unless those days had been shortened, no flesh should be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be shortened.”

The Antichrist will reign for three and a half years, 1,290 days. When he is slain “by lightning on Mount Olivet and his death has been made widely known throughout the world, this our earth will exist for 45 more days; I do not say years, but days” (Daniel 12:11-12). The Doctors said “these 45 days will be given by God for the conversion of those who have been seduced by Antichrist, but Antichrist will have left behind him so great riches and pleasure that hardly any of the nations will be converted to the Faith of Christ. For there is no savior but Christ, and yet they will not be converted.” In Luke 17 Christ warns us it will be like in the days of Noah and Lot when people went about as usual.

Then “a certain dreadful expectation of the judgment and the rage of a fire shall consume the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:27). As David says (Psalm 96:3): “A fire shall go before him and shall burn his enemies round about. His lightnings have shone forth to the world; the earth saw and trembled. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord; at the presence of the Lord of all the earth.”

“Therefore,” Vincent Ferrer warns, “do penance now, forgive injuries, make restitution of any ill-gotten goods, live up to and confess your religion; If it were certain that in a short time this town was going to be destroyed by fire, would you not exchange all your immovable goods for something that you could take away with you?”

Only the treasure piled up already in heaven.

By: Joseph Pronechen

#what the end of the world will be like

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daywillcomeagain · 6 years ago

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⭐?

aaaaaaaaaaugh i had this whole post WRITTEN and then tumblr DELETED IT and now i have to WRITE IT AGAIN. (quiet pouting)

here goes again: i want to talk about its own reward. it was born pretty heavily from my recent thoughts and discussions about redemption, both on tumblr and discord. specifically of note is @undercat-overdog‘s incredible post:

But… feeling guilty, feeling sorry isn’t redemption. It’s not even repentance....But what is necessary, if perhaps not sufficient? Well, first and foremost, not continuing to hurt people. Part of it is coming to an understanding of morality, if they don’t already have one (*coughSauron*), coming to a moral place where if they were put in the same position again, they would not make those same choices: that is, if they could go back in time and relive their lives, Sauron wouldn’t make the Ring or attack the Elves, Gollum wouldn’t betray Frodo to Shelob, Maedhros wouldn’t attack Sirion.

i think that this is both (a) really fundamentally correct and (b) means that, with my interpretation of how the Oath works, the eight Oathbound can never be redeemed.

which... Ouch.

(this is mostly because i disagree with undercat’s parenthetical: i don’t, actually, think that they had a choice at that point. this isn’t because i don’t think they have agency--or, maybe it is, but only in the sense that the Oath was them using their agency to give up their future agency? people do this irl, though, too, in ways such as “checking themselves into rehab and telling everyone to make them stay no matter how much they beg to be allowed out to have drugs”, or “putting their money in a trust where they can’t have it even if they change their mind”--precommitting yourself to future action, even if you’ll regret it, is absolutely a thing that people can do without being any less of people. so under my interpretation, the Oathbound don’t actually have a choice about a lot of their actions, once they’ve taken the Oath--they have some, yes, but not enough to avoid the Second and Third Kinslayings--and so they can never fully repent of Doriath or Sirion except as “I repent of taking the Oath and of all the evil actions that came as a result of that”.)

this passage is probably the most obvious callout of this:

“Redemption can be given to many who have done terrible things; it would be useless if it could not. People who have done terrible things is exactly what redemption is for! No. You, dear brother, are incapable of redemption because you do not regret any of the things you’ve done. Not really, not in any way thatmatters. You can toss and turn with misery at night and tell yourself you love your hostages as your own children, but if tomorrow they were to withhold a silmaril from us, what would you do? You would kill them with the same sword you have already used to kill their kin. And then, I am sure, you would cry about it, as though tears were enough to buy forgiveness for what you have done.”

...

We have sworn for ever! And being a good person will always, always come second to that Oath. You know this as well as I, but I daresay we have all learned it well. Certainly it looks unlikely that it will come into play again; yet neither did any expect the success of Beren and Lúthien. So long as we are destroying cities, I see no point in combing through the rubble for absolution. We can do penance all we please, but we will never be able to redeem ourselves as good people so long as we are bound.”

“So you just gave up?”

“Indeed. What is the point in playing a game you have already sworn to lose?”

Maedhros, at this point, knows that he will never be redeemed. he is, of course, incredibly sorry, intensely guilty, intensely self-flagellating, but he also has recognized that this doesn’t actually matter so long as he would do it again tomorrow. he’s also pretty no-good-deed, after all he’s been through: all of his actions, including the ones intended for good, have either failed or backfired, from Losgar to the Nirnaeth to the search for Eluréd and Elurín. as a result, he’s completely given up on ever being a good person, or ever doing good things.

Maglor, on the other hand, doesn’t. he is trying desperately to do good, but more than that, he wants to be a good person; this underlies his decision to take the kids and raise them instead of, say, sending them to be raised by someone else who did not traumatize them and destroy their city. and he does believe, to some extent, that things such as “doing good” and “being sorry” can make you a better person, even if you are... still the kind of person who would kill a city to get a silmaril.

they’re both right about some things and wrong about some things; they’re also both being deliberately as vicious as they possibly can. maedhros hates himself and maglor both a whole fuck of a lot; maglor is trying so desperately not to hate himself that he’s kind of putting everything else aside, and also he’s bitter and angry at his older brother for letting him down and leading him into evil, and... wow they are just extremely unhealthy all the time huh.

essentially: rescuing children doesn’t absolve you of murder, but it’s still a good thing to do anyway. maedhros and maglor are both able to recognize exactly one half of that sentence.

but. i really, really didn’t want to end it at that, because wow is “end-of-first-age-mae is right, actually, and the oathbound can never ever be redeemed” a hopeless message! not to mention, this whole debate is really remarkably self-centered: until the end, when Maglor goes to give Elrond some singing lessons, the people they’ve hurt never come up; it’s only discussing the terrible deeds and whether they can come back from them, with no discussion of the actual people they’ve hurt or what they want. so. elwing happened.

it’s really important to me that forgiveness is a different thing from redemption: someone can be absolved but unforgiven, someone can be forgiven while still being just as unrepentantly evil. forgiveness is a thing given freely by the victim and is never owed one way or another to the person who hurt them. in a lot of ways, the ending is really unfocused on the question that’s been debated the whole time; in fact, it leaves it entirely up in the air. instead of saying whether or not anyone’s a good person, or what they deserve, or whether their sins still stain their souls, it says: look. i don’t have the power or knowledge of that kind of thing. things are complicated. this is what i do know: the consequences of your actions, both good and bad. here they are. they matter, too. (also: rescuing children doesn’t absolve you of murder, but it’s still a good thing to do anyway.)

fanfic director’s cut ask meme (ask here) (stories here)

#deserve has nothing to do with it #worst foster dads #shut up þornwë #wolffyluna

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focusontheeasternlightning-blog · 6 years ago

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Almighty God Led Me Onto the Path of Obtaining Cleansing

Gangqiang, USA

I came to Singapore on my own in 2007 to try to make a living. Singapore is really hot year-round, so I was sweating buckets every day at work. It was utterly miserable, and on top of that I was in a completely unfamiliar place without any family or friends—life felt so dull and tedious.

One day in August, I received a gospel leaflet on my way home from work which read: “But the God of all grace, who has called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10). I felt warmth in my heart upon reading these words. After that, I went to church with a brother, where the enthusiastic reception from the brothers and sisters, who asked after my well-being, made me feel the warmth of family which I hadn’t had in a long time. My eyes suddenly welled up with tears—I felt just like I had come home. From then on, every Sunday going to church was a must for me.

I was baptized that December, officially stepping onto the path of faith. In one church service, I heard the preacher reading from chapter 18, verses 21–22 of Matthew: “Then came Peter to Him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus said to him, I say not to you, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” Hearing this, I thought to myself: “How can the forgiveness and patience of the Lord Jesus be so great? He forgives people seventy times seven times. If men could really do this, then there would be no fighting, but just love and warmth!” I was very moved by the Lord’s words, and I resolved to act in accordance with His teachings.

Two or three years later, my boss put me in charge of managing a construction site, so I put all my energy into work and stopped attending gatherings as regularly. I was later introduced by a friend to a Mr. Li, a business financier, and we set up a construction company together. I was very happy, and was determined to really throw myself into it. I then got totally into the vortex of money and stopped going to church for gatherings altogether. I wanted projects to be done well to win others’ praise for my competence, so I became more and more demanding of workers. I would reprimand them whenever I saw that they had done something that wasn’t right or wasn’t up to my requirements. The team leader was often brought to tears by my abuse. The workers were afraid whenever they saw me and would even hide from me. Even people who used to be good friends became cold toward me and no longer wanted to confide in me. Seeing this was very distressing. The Lord Jesus instructs us to forgive others seventy times seven times, and to love our neighbor as ourselves. However, I had not put this into practice in the slightest, not even once. How was that being a Christian? I knew that I was sinning and I often prayed to the Lord, confessing and repenting. I resolved to change. But whenever something came up, in spite of myself I would still sin. I was really vexed.

In August of 2015, we suspended business operations because the company was not doing well, and I went back home. Depressed and miserable, I just drank and gambled all day. When my wife told me I should stop drinking, I would just yell at her: “It’s my money, I earned it, and I’ll spend it however I want….” There was nothing she could do, so she would just sit there and cry. Each time that I gave vent to my anger, I felt remorseful and I hated myself, but I just couldn’t rein myself in. By that time I had completely lost all Christian propriety; my behavior and conduct were entirely the same as a nonbeliever’s.

In my pain and helplessness, I went back to church to gatherings again. Over that period, I was constantly praying to the Lord Jesus: “Oh, Lord! I’ve done so many things I didn’t want to do, I’ve said so many things that hurt others. I’ve been living in sin and rebelling against You. Each time that I sin, I’m remorseful and really hate myself, but I can’t ever control myself! I confess my sins by night, but then by day I fall back into my old ways and sin again. Oh, Lord! I beseech You to save me, what can I do to break free from sin?”

On New Year’s Day of 2016, I set foot on American soil—I had come to New York to make some money. I kept going to church in my free time and also joined a prayer group, reading the Bible and praying with other brothers and sisters. There, I became acquainted with a sister called Qinglian. One day, Sister Qinglian gave me a call to say there was some good news she wanted to share with me. I said, “What’s the good news?” She said, “There’s a missionary visiting. Do you want to go hear her speak?” I said, “Great! Where is it?” She then arranged a time for me to go to her house.

I went to Sister Qinglian’s house on that day. Several other brothers and sisters were there, and after meeting and exchanging greetings, we all began to discuss the Bible. Sister Zhao’s fellowship was very enlightening and it was really edifying for me. I then told her about my constant sinning and confessing, and the pain of being unable to rid myself of sin, and I sought her help. In fellowship, she said that even after we have begun to believe in the Lord, we still sin all the time, and that living life in the never-ending cycle of sinning by day and confessing by night, never able to rid ourselves of it, was not a problem that afflicted me alone. Rather it was a problem shared by all believers. Sister Zhao then had us watch a video of some recitations of God’s words. These were the words: “And so I say that man’s sense has lost its original function, and that man’s conscience, too, has lost its original function. … Man’s disposition should be changed starting from the knowledge of his substance and through changes in his thinking, nature, and mental outlook—through fundamental changes. Only in this way will true changes be achieved in the disposition of man. Man’s corrupt disposition stems from his being poisoned and trampled upon by Satan, from the egregious harm that Satan has inflicted upon his thinking, morality, insight, and sense. It is precisely because these fundamental things of man have been corrupted by Satan, and are utterly unlike how God originally created them, that man opposes God and does not understand the truth. Thus, changes in man’s disposition should begin with changes in his thinking, insight and sense that will change his knowledge of God and his knowledge of the truth” (“To Have an Unchanged Disposition Is to Be in Enmity to God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh).

I was really moved, thinking, “Isn’t it me they are talking about? I always look down on others, scolding them for this or yelling at them for that. I lack morality and reason, and have lost any vestige of saintly decorum.” These words all pierced me to the core of my being. I had never read anything like it before, nor had I heard any preacher deliver that kind of sermon. I had been distressed by my constant sinning, but still hadn’t been able to break free from the constraints of sin. These words showed me the path to leaving sin behind, and I marveled: This is so well put. Who could have written them?

Sister Zhao told me that this was the word of God, that the Lord Jesus had already returned in the flesh, and He was currently doing the work of judging and cleansing people through His word in the last days. I simply didn’t dare believe my own ears. What believer is not longing for His return? Suddenly hearing this news of the Lord’s return, I was so excited that I was somewhat at a loss: Had the Lord truly returned? I eagerly asked her to continue with her fellowship. Sister Zhao said, “The Lord Jesus has truly returned, and He is Almighty God—the incarnated Christ in the last days. He has expressed all truths to purify and save mankind, and has started to do the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. He will thoroughly save us from the domain of Satan, who have been bound up by our satanic nature and living in sin from which we cannot extricate ourselves. Ultimately we’ll attain full salvation and be obtained by God. In the Age of Grace, the Lord Jesus only performed the work of redemption; He redeemed us from sin and absolved our sins so that we would no longer be condemned under the law. Although the Lord absolved our sins, He did not pardon our satanic nature or our satanic dispositions. The arrogance, craftiness, selfishness, greed, maliciousness, and other corrupt dispositions still exist within man. These are things which go deeper and are more stubborn than sin. It is precisely because these satanic dispositions and satanic nature have not been resolved that we continue to sin in spite of ourselves, and we even commit sins that are more serious than violating the law. As for the Pharisees back then, wasn’t the reason why they resisted and condemned the Lord, to the point where they even crucified Him, that man’s sinful nature had not been resolved? In fact, we all have a deep appreciation of this because we are ourselves controlled by these corrupt dispositions. So, we often tell lies, act deceitfully, are arrogant and conceited, and reprimand others condescendingly. We know clearly that the Lord demands that we pardon others and love our neighbor as ourselves, and yet we do not put this into practice. People scheme against each other, scramble for fame and gain, and are unable to get along harmoniously. During times of illness, natural or man-made disasters, we still blame God, and we even deny or betray God. These facts show that if we do not resolve our satanic nature and satanic dispositions, then we will never be able to escape this circular life of sinning and confessing, then confessing and sinning. Therefore, to thoroughly save man from sin, it is necessary for God to perform a stage of His judgment and cleansing work to resolve our sinful nature. This is the only way we can be purified and fully saved by God, and be obtained by Him. Let’s read a few more selections from Almighty God’s words and you’ll understand.”

Sister Zhao opened up the book of the word of God and began to read: “For all that man may have been redeemed and forgiven of his sins, it can only be considered as God not remembering the transgressions of man and not treating man in accordance with his transgressions. However, when man, who lives in a body of flesh, has not been set free from sin, he can only continue to sin, endlessly revealing his corrupt satanic disposition. This is the life that man leads, an endless cycle of sinning and being forgiven. The majority of men sin in the day only to confess in the evening. This way, even if the sin offering is forever effective for man, it will not be able to save man from sin. Only half the work of salvation has been completed, for man still has a corrupt disposition” (“The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan” (Preface to The Word Appears in the Flesh).

“The sins of man were forgiven, and this is because of the work of God’s crucifixion, but man continued to live within the corrupt satanic disposition of old. This being so, man must be completely saved from his corrupt satanic disposition, so that his sinful nature may be completely extirpated, never to develop again, thus enabling the disposition of man to be transformed. This would require man to grasp the path of growth in life, to grasp the way of life, and to grasp the way to change his disposition. Furthermore, it would require man to act in accordance with this path, so that his disposition may gradually be changed and he may live under the shining of the light, so that all that he does may be in accord with the will of God, so that he may cast away his corrupt satanic disposition, and so that he may break free from Satan’s influence of darkness, thereby emerging fully from sin. Only then will man receive complete salvation” (“The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). Sister Zhao said in fellowship: “Now that we’ve read these words of God, we understand why we are always bound by our satanic nature and unable to rid ourselves of sin, right? During the Age of Grace, God only performed the work of redemption, not the end-time work of judging, cleansing, and thoroughly saving people. So no matter how we confess our sins and repent, how we try to conquer ourselves, how we fast and pray, we will not be able to achieve freedom from sin. That means that if we want to break free of the bondage and control of our sinful nature, just undergoing the Lord Jesus’ work of redemption is still not enough. We must accept the work of judgment done by the returned Lord Jesus. This is because in doing His judgment work of the last days, God expresses many aspects of truth to judge and expose man’s satanic nature of resisting and betraying God. He reveals God’s righteous, holy, inviolable disposition, allowing mankind to clearly see the truth of his own profound corruption by Satan through the judgment and chastisement of God’s words, to truly know God’s righteous disposition that does not tolerate man’s offense, to develop a God-fearing heart, thus transforming and purifying man’s satanic disposition and saving man from Satan’s influence. In God’s majestic, wrathful judgment and chastisement we see God as if face-to-face—we see the great light coming from heaven. Like a double-edged sword, God’s word pierces our hearts, it reveals our satanic nature of resisting and betraying God as well as even our corrupt dispositions in the deepest recesses of our hearts which we ourselves have no way of discovering. It makes us see that the essence of our nature is filled with such satanic dispositions as arrogance, conceit, selfishness, baseness, evasiveness, and craftiness, that we are simply without a shred of human likeness, and are completely the embodiment of Satan. It is only then that we prostrate ourselves before God, beginning to hate and curse ourselves. At the same time, we also sense profoundly that all of God’s word is the truth, it is all the revelation of God’s disposition as well as what the life of God is. We see that God’s righteous disposition does not tolerate offense, and that God’s holy essence will not be sullied. The result is developing a heart of reverence for God; we begin to seek the truth with all our might and to behave according to the word of God. As we gradually come to understand the truth, we will have more and more of an understanding of our own satanic nature and disposition, and gain more and more discernment. Our knowledge of God will also increase. Our internal corrupt dispositions will slowly be cleansed and we will be freed from the bonds of sin. We will gain true release and live freely before God. This is precisely the outcome achieved in mankind through God’s work of judgment in the last days. It can therefore be seen that the work of ‘redemption’ in the Age of Grace and the work of ‘ridding man of sin’ in the last days are two different stages of work. ‘Redemption’ was just the Lord Jesus taking on man’s sins in their stead and allowing man to escape the punishment they should have suffered for their sins. But that didn’t mean that people were without sin, much less that they would never again sin or that they were totally purified. Whereas ‘ridding man of sin’ is completely exposing mankind’s sinful nature so that we can live without relying on our corrupt nature anymore, so we can achieve a change in our life disposition and become totally purified. Therefore, only by accepting God’s work of judgment in the last days can our corrupt dispositions be thoroughly resolved, can we rid ourselves of Satan’s influence and be saved, be led into the kingdom of God and attain God’s promises and blessings.”

Hearing the word of God and the sisters’ fellowship, I felt that it was completely in line with reality and was very practical. I thought back on my many years as a man of faith: I not only often lied and cheated, but I was also arrogant and unrestrained, rude and unreasonable, and willful. People who worked for me were afraid of me and kept their distance from me, and even in my own home my wife and daughter were a little scared of me as well. No one wanted to open up to me and I couldn’t even find a close friend to confide in. It was painful and I felt helpless. Even though I often read the Bible and prayed, confessed my sins to the Lord, and even despised myself, I would keep doing the same terrible things. I could not change myself at all. Someone like me who’s constantly sinning and resisting the Lord is in great need of God’s work of judgment in the last days! The Lord Jesus has now returned—He is Almighty God incarnate. Today, having the chance to hear the voice of God and to learn that the Lord Jesus has come again to deliver the truth and undertake the work of judging, cleansing, and saving man, I really am extremely fortunate! That sister saw that I was filled with longing, so she gave me a copy of a book of God’s word: God’s Sheep Hear the Voice of God. I accepted it happily and resolved to really practice my faith in Almighty God!

I read many of God’s words after accepting Almighty God’s work in the last days. I read about the three stages of God’s work, the mystery of the incarnation, the meaning of God’s name and the inside story of the Holy Bible, as well as how the overcomers are made, how the kingdom of Christ is realized, how the final outcome and destination of each type of person will be determined, and other aspects of the truth, gradually gaining some understanding of them. I also gained more faith in God.

At first, when I read God’s words that judge and expose man so harshly, I felt distressed and uncomfortable and had some notions about them; I felt that God’s words were too severe. Could He not be a little gentler? If God judges man in this way, is man not then condemned? How can he then be truly saved? Later, I read in the word of God: “In the last days, Christ uses a variety of truths to teach man, expose the essence of man, and dissect his words and deeds. These words comprise various truths, such as man’s duty, how man should obey God, how man should be loyal to God, how man ought to live out the normal humanity, as well as the wisdom and the disposition of God, and so on. These words are all directed at the essence of man and his corrupt disposition. In particular, those words that expose how man spurns God are spoken in regard to how man is an embodiment of Satan and an enemy force against God. In undertaking His work of judgment, God does not simply make clear the nature of man with just a few words; He exposes, deals with, and prunes over the long term. These methods of exposure, dealing, and pruning cannot be substituted with ordinary words, but with the truth that man does not possess at all. Only methods of this kind are deemed judgment; only through judgment of this kind can man be subdued and thoroughly convinced into submission to God, and moreover gain true knowledge of God” (“Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). “Through what is God’s perfection of man accomplished? Through His righteous disposition. God’s disposition primarily consists of righteousness, wrath, majesty, judgment, and curse, and His perfection of man is primarily through judgment. Some people don’t understand, and ask why it is that God is only able to make man perfect through judgment and curse. They say, ‘If God were to curse man, wouldn’t man die? If God were to judge man, wouldn’t man be condemned? Then how can he still be made perfect?’ Such are the words of people who do not know the work of God. What God curses is the disobedience of man, and what He judges are the sins of man. Although He speaks harshly, and without the slightest sensitivity, He reveals all that is within man, and through these stern words He reveals that which is essential within man, yet through such judgment, He gives man a profound knowledge of the essence of the flesh, and thus man submits to obedience before God. The flesh of man is of sin, and of Satan, it is disobedient, and the object of God’s chastisement—and so, to allow man to know himself, the words of God’s judgment must befall him and there must be employed every kind of refinement; only then can God’s work be effective” (“Only by Experiencing Painful Trials Can You Know the Loveliness of God” in The Word Appears in the Flesh). From God’s words I realized that God performs His work of judgment in the last days through expressing the truth, and that He severely judges, exposes and condemns man’s corrupt dispositions, satanic nature, and wicked deeds that oppose God. He does this so that we see clearly the truth of our own corruption, understand thoroughly the essence of our corrupt dispositions, and know our own satanic nature and the source of our corruption. This is the only way we can despise ourselves and forsake the flesh. In addition, it is only because God shows His righteous, majestic and wrathful disposition through His judgment and chastisement that we are able to see His righteousness and holiness, as well as see clearly our own filthiness, ugliness and wickedness. God also does this so that we may know our own satanic nature and the truth of our corruption. If God did not judge man so severely, if God did not expose man’s corruption by striking right at the heart of the matter, and if He did not reveal His righteous and majestic disposition, then we humans, who have been corrupted so deeply by Satan, would be unable to reflect on ourselves or know ourselves. We would be incapable of knowing the truth of our own corruption or our satanic nature. If that were the case, then how would we rid ourselves of our sinful nature and be purified? From the results achieved by God’s stern words we can see that hidden within them are God’s true love for man and the painstaking efforts He goes to to save man. The more I read God’s words, the more I feel how wonderful God’s work of judgment is. God’s work is so practical! Only God’s severe judgment can purify, transform, and save man. God’s work of judgment in the last days is truly what we need!

Due to my arrogant and extremely self-righteous nature, when speaking to others I often lectured them in a condescending way, and in my actions I was a law unto myself. I always loved getting others to listen to me and was prone to showing off. Several times at gatherings, I gave fellowship about how I had handled problems in my work unit, how I had rebuked staff who hadn’t followed instructions and subdued them, as well as how my wife and daughter did what I told them to. Particularly when I shared fellowship on God’s words, I would say things like, “I believe this passage of God’s words means this,” and “this is what I think.” A brother saw that I was always revealing an arrogant and self-righteous disposition without being aware of it myself. He pointed this out to me at a gathering, saying that speaking and acting in this way was an expression of arrogance, self-righteousness, and unreasonableness. If anyone had exposed me that way in the past, and in front of so many people to boot, I would certainly have argued my own case and refuted them right away. But at the time, I chose to be silent without arguing or justifying myself, because these words from “Sermons and Fellowship on Entry Into Life” came to mind: “If you always say ‘I think’ when it comes to any subject you encounter, well, it is best that you let go of your opinions. I urge you to let go of your opinions and seek the truth. See what the words of God say. Your ‘opinion’ is not the truth! … You are too arrogant and self-right! In the face of the truth, you cannot even let go of and deny your own conceptions and illusions. You do not want to obey God in the slightest! Of those that truly seek the truth and truly have a heart that reveres God, who still says ‘I think’? This saying has already been eliminated. This is the revealing of the satanic disposition.” This fellowship reminded me that, whenever I encountered an issue, words such as “I think,” “I maintain,” and “I believe” were generally on my lips, always starting with the word “I,” and myself always had the final say on everything. I believed that I could see through things myself, and could deal with problems. I always made others do as I said and obey me. By always regarding myself so highly, was that not precisely revealing an arrogant disposition? What that brother said to me when he pointed out my disposition was all true, and I should accept it. The things I believed emanated from my notions and imaginings, they came from Satan, and they were certainly not the truth. I thought about how, whether at home, at work, or amongst colleagues, I was always behaving as if I were number one. If anyone didn’t listen to me or did something out of line with my views, I would get angry and tell them off. The fact that I was capable of revealing these things meant that there was no place for God in my heart, that I did not honor God as great, but rather honored myself as great. That was generally how I spoke and behaved, proving what an incredibly arrogant disposition I have!

I later read those words of God: “If you really have the truth within you, the path you walk will naturally be the correct path. Without the truth, it is easy to do evil and you would not be able to help yourself. For example, if you have arrogance and conceit inside you, it will be impossible to not defy God, but instead you would be made to defy Him. You wouldn’t do it on purpose; you would do it under the domination of your arrogant and conceited nature. Your arrogance and conceit would make you look down on God, it would make you see God as being of no account, it would make you exalt yourself, it would make you constantly put yourself on display and finally it would make you sit in God’s place and bear witness for yourself. In the end you would make your own ideas, your own thinking and your own conceptions into truths to be worshiped. See how much evil is done by people under the dominance of their arrogant and conceited nature! To resolve their doing of evil, one must first resolve the problem of their nature. Without a change in disposition, it is not possible to fundamentally resolve this problem” (“Only by Pursuing the Truth Can You Obtain Changes in Your Disposition” in Records of Christ’s Talks). Every word spoken by God is the truth—I was utterly convinced. I thought of how I used to lecture others condescendingly at construction sites, around my colleagues, and when I was at home. All of this was me being dominated by my satanic, arrogant nature; it was not brought about because I’m an angry person, or because I have a bad temper or lack self-restraint. I believed myself to have caliber and talent and good earning power, so I thought of myself as better than others. I looked down on everyone else, I thought I was better than everyone else and always lorded over other people. These things fed my arrogance and became the currency of my life. I had found the source of my sin and had seen the perilous consequences of leaving my satanic and corrupt disposition unresolved. And so I made an effort to look up and read many of God’s words judging and exposing man’s arrogant nature, and reflected on myself in comparison. Through God’s words of judgment and revealing as well as the fellowship of brothers and sisters in gatherings, I began to gain a shallow understanding of my own arrogant nature. I saw that I was not in fact better than anyone else, and that my ability and wealth had all been bestowed by God, so I had nothing to boast about. If God hadn’t bestowed wisdom and intelligence on me, if God hadn’t blessed me, what could I have done just relying on myself? There are so many talented people in the world; why do they toil and rush about all their lives just to end up empty-handed? I also found the path to resolve my arrogant nature within God’s words, which was to accept more of being pruned and dealt with by brothers and sisters, to accept more of the judgment, chastisement, trials and refinement of God, reflect on myself in light of God’s words, achieve true self-knowledge and self-hatred, and to no longer act according to my satanic disposition but to act in accordance with God’s words. I later experienced many instances of being judged and chastised, pruned and dealt with, and I experienced many setbacks and failures. My knowledge of my satanic nature and corrupt essence was gradually deepened, and I also gained a shallow understanding of God’s greatness, righteousness and holiness. The more I came to know God’s righteousness and holiness, the more I saw my own filthiness, lowliness, insignificance and pitifulness. The things which I thought important before or had boasted about, I then felt weren’t even worth mentioning. Before I knew it, my arrogant disposition began to change. Whoever said something that was correct—brothers and sisters, my colleagues, or my family—I would accept it. I no longer spoke to others condescendingly, but acted with humility and I was no longer a law unto myself. Whenever an issue arose I would discuss it with others, and I would act according to whoever’s suggestion was correct. Slowly, my relationships with those around me began to normalize. I had peace and joy in my heart, and I felt that I was finally living out a bit of a human likeness.

By constantly reading God’s word and living the life of the church, I felt more and more how truly great it was that I was able to accept God’s work of judgment in the last days. I genuinely experienced that I would have no way to resolve my corrupt disposition myself. Only through the judgment and chastisement of God’s words have I been gradually changed and cleansed. In The Church of Almighty God, I see many brothers and sisters working hard at seeking the truth, and accepting the judgment and chastisement of Almighty God’s words. Whenever someone reveals corruption, others point it out and everyone helps each other. We all reflect on ourselves and know ourselves in the light of God’s words, and we seek the truth to resolve our corruption. Everyone practices being honest people and being pure and open; we accept and submit to whatever fellowship is in conformity with the truth and our corrupt dispositions change more and more. The words of Almighty God can indeed purify and change people. God incarnate has come amongst us, He personally expresses His words to judge and purify us, and He leads us to cast off sin and be fully saved—we are so fortunate! Thinking of all those true believers who are waiting impatiently for His return, who yearn to cast off the bonds of sin and be cleansed, yet who live in pain without a path to follow, I said a prayer to God and made a resolution: “I wish to preach Your kingdom gospel to other people so that they can be like me, following Your footsteps and embarking upon the path to purification and complete salvation!”

#Christian Testimonies #faith #gospel #prayer #withess

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comebeforegod · 6 years ago

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I Have Walked on the Path to Purification

by Gangqiang, United States

In 2007, due to the pressure of life, I came to Singapore to carve out a career by myself. As the temperature was very high all year round in Singapore, every day I was streaming with sweat while working, which was a real torture. Also, being a stranger without family or friends, I felt my life awfully dull and boring.

One day in August, on my way back from work, I received a gospel leaflet on which was written, “But the God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that you have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10). These words warmed my heart. Then a brother led me to a church, and the brothers and sisters there brought me a savory food warmly. The warmth of home and tasty food that I had not enjoyed for over half a year since I left home immediately moved me to tears. At that time, I, a lonely and drifting man, felt myself like a human and as if I had been back home. From then on, the church became the place that I must go to every Sunday.

In December, I received baptism and formally walked on the way of confession and repentance. One time in the church, I heard a pastor read the verses of Matthew 18:21-22, “Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus said to him, I say not to you, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.” After hearing that, I thought: Why did the Lord Jesus have so great tolerance and patience? If people really can do what the Lord Jesus said—forgiving others seventy times seven, there will be love and warmth among men. So much was I touched by these words that I made up my mind to practice the Lord’s teachings.

During the two or three years after believing in the Lord, I was active in attending the gathering and listening to the preaching. Later, my boss put me in charge of a construction site, and I put my heart into it. Gradually, I didn’t go to the gathering often.

Later, I was introduced to Mr. Li, an owner, by a friend, and we jointly registered a construction company. Joyful, I decided to throw myself into my career. At that time, I had totally immersed myself in making money, and no longer went to the church. In order to do a good job on the project and win others’ praise for my ability, I was very strict with the employees, and showed no more love and tolerance to them. Instead, I often rebuked the workers, and the group leaders were frequently scolded into crying by me. The workers were all afraid to see me and avoided me. Even my good friends became cold toward me, no longer willing to speak their mind to me. I felt greatly distressed. The Lord Jesus taught us to forgive others until seventy times seven, but I failed to do it even once. I knew I had not done well and wanted to change myself, but I had no way. Every time when I felt depressed, I could only pray to the Lord. Only then did I felt somewhat relieved.

In August 2015, my company shut down because of mismanagement. So I had to stay at home. During that time, I was so depressed that I indulged myself in drinking and playing cards all day. When my wife tried to persuade me not to drink, I would shout abuse at her, “The money is earned by me; I can spend it any way I like….” So fiercely did I scold her each time that my daughter was frightened into silence, just standing aside and watching us nervously. Every time after I hurt my families I regretted very much, but I still could not control myself the next time. At that time, I had entirely lost the decency of a Christian, and lived and acted like an unbeliever.

Thereafter, I came back to the church. I kept praying to the Lord, “Oh Lord! I have done many things that I don’t want to do, and often live in the situation of committing sins and then regretting. I hate myself, but I can’t control myself. Even though I pray to confess my sins in the evening, I will sin again in the day once encountering some matters. Today, everyone keeps away from me and alienates me. Oh Lord, please help me. What should I do to break free from sin?”

On the New Year’s day of 2016, I set foot on the land of the United States, continuing to struggle for my career in New York. Soon after, I came to a church to listen to sermons, where I made the acquaintance of Sister Qinglian.

One day, Sister Qinglian phoned me and said, “I’ve got some good news for you!” I asked, “What’s that?” She answered, “A preacher came to our neighborhood. Would you like to listen to his preaching?” I said, “Yeah! Where?” She told me to go to her home at the appointed time.

At the time of the appointment, I came to Sister Qinglian’s house, and Sister Zhao was there as well. I saw the TV playing a passage of words, “And so I say that man’s sense has lost its original function, and that man’s conscience, too, has lost its original function. … Man’s disposition should be changed starting from the knowledge of his substance and through changes in his thinking, nature, and mental outlook—through fundamental changes. Only in this way will true changes be achieved in the disposition of man. Man’s corrupt disposition stems from his being poisoned and trampled upon by Satan, from the egregious harm that Satan has inflicted upon his thinking, morality, insight, and sense. It is precisely because these fundamental things of man have been corrupted by Satan, and are utterly unlike how God originally created them, that man opposes God and does not understand the truth. Thus, changes in man’s disposition should begin with changes in his thinking, insight and sense that will change his knowledge of God and his knowledge of the truth” (“To Have an Unchanged Disposition Is to Be in Enmity to God”). Seeing these words, I was quite touched: Am I not like what these words say? I have always looked down on others, rebuking this person and scolding that one, without morality or the decency of the saints. However, I could not change myself, and even fasting and praying didn’t work. Now these words have touched my heart deeply, but I have never seen them anywhere else, nor have I ever listened to any priest talking about them before. I felt strange: These words are so wonderful; who wrote them?

Sister Zhao told me they were the words of God, expressed by the returned Lord Jesus. “Has the Lord Jesus come back?!” I could hardly believe my ears when I heard this news. I was quite excited. Among the believers in the Lord, who is not looking forward to the Lord’s return? Now when I suddenly heard the news, I was somewhat at a loss what to do. “Has the Lord really come back?” I asked the sisters to tell me about that quickly.

Sister Zhao said, “The Lord Jesus has already come back indeed. The incarnate Almighty God is the returned Lord Jesus. He has expressed words to do the work of judgment beginning with the house of God. For the Lord Jesus only completed the work of redemption, redeeming us from sin and forgiving our sin so that we were condemned no more by the law, but our sinful nature was not cast away. We all know that although the Lord has forgiven our sins, we are still living in sin and cannot get rid of it even though we want to. This is because, after being corrupted by Satan, man’s disposition has become the same as Satan’s; the satanic corrupt dispositions such as arrogance, conceit, craftiness, selfishness, maliciousness, and so on have been deeply rooted within man; therefore people intrigue against each other, scramble for fame and fortune, are unable to get along with each other, and what’s more have been resistant to God. The Bible says, ‘… holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord’ (Hebrews 12:14). This shows us that man cannot see the Lord without being purified. In order to be saved from sin thoroughly, we need God’s further work of removing man’s sinful nature; otherwise we cannot be purified. Let’s read God’s word.” Sister Zhao opened the book of God’s word and began to read, “Though man has been redeemed and forgiven of his sins, it is only considered as God not remembering the transgressions of man and not treating man in accordance with man’s transgressions. However, when man lives in the flesh and he has not been set free from sin, he can only continue to sin, endlessly revealing the corrupt satanic disposition. This is the life that man leads, an endless cycle of sin and forgiveness. The majority of men sin in the day only to confess in the evening. As such, even if the sin offering is forever effective for man, it would not be able to save man from sin. Only half the work of salvation has been completed, for man still has corrupt disposition” (“The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)”).

“Though Jesus did much work among man, He only completed the redemption of all mankind and became man’s sin offering, and did not rid man of all his corrupt disposition. Fully saving man from the influence of Satan not only required Jesus to take on the sins of man as the sin offering, but also required God to do greater work to completely rid man of his disposition, which has been corrupted by Satan” (“Preface”).

“The sins of man were forgiven because of the work of God’s crucifixion, but man continued to live in the old, corrupt satanic disposition. As such, man must be completely saved from the corrupt satanic disposition so that the sinful nature of man is completely cast away and never again develops, thus allowing the disposition of man to be changed. This requires man to understand the path of growth in life, the way of life, and the way to change his disposition. It also needs man to act in accordance with this path so that the disposition of man can gradually be changed and he can live under the shining of the light, and that he can do all things in accord with the will of God, cast away the corrupt satanic disposition, and break free from Satan’s influence of darkness, thereby emerging fully from sin. Only then will man receive complete salvation” (“The Mystery of the Incarnation (4)”).

Then Sister Zhao fellowshiped, “From God’s words, we know that only when man understands the way of life and the way to change his disposition from the truths expressed by the second incarnate God, and acts in accordance with God’s demands, can his sinful nature be completely cast away and can he be saved. Thus we can see that the work of redemption and the work of removing sins are two different stages of work. In the work of redemption, the Lord Jesus merely took on man’s sins and spared man from the punishment which man should have received. This doesn’t mean that man no longer has sins, much less does it mean that man doesn’t sin anymore and is completely purified. In the work of removing sins, the root of man’s sin will be removed, so that man will sin no more and be purified. Only then can we win God’s approval and get into the kingdom of heaven and receive God’s promise.”

After listening to the words of God and Sister Zhao’s fellowship, I felt they fully accorded with the reality of the situation. During the past years, because of my arrogance and haughtiness, in my company, the workers were afraid of me and stayed away from me, and at home, my family feared me. I felt very distressed about that and even hated myself, but I was unable to change myself. Hearing the sister’s fellowship about the Lord Jesus’ return to do the work of expressing the truths and purifying man so that man can be changed, I felt very fortunate to meet the return of the Lord. That day before I left, Sister Zhao gave me a book entitled “Believe in God for Being Saved.” She said that she had used to live in sin and be unable to get rid of it like me, but later, she found the way to practice after she read that book. Happily, I received the book and was resolved to believe in Almighty God seriously.

After I accepted the work of Almighty God in the last days, I gradually understood the truths about God’s three stages of work and the mystery of His incarnation. When I first read the words with which God judged the satanic nature of man, I was very upset. But later I came to understand that I could only know my corruptions through the revelation of God’s severe words. If I did not know my corrupt disposition, how could I be changed? Later I read these words of God, “In the last days, Christ uses a variety of truths to teach man, reveal the essence of man, and dissect his words and deeds. These words comprise various truths, such as man’s duty, how man should obey God, how man should be loyal to God, how man ought to live out the normal humanity, as well as the wisdom and disposition of God, and so on. These words are all focused on the essence of man and his corrupt disposition. In particular, those words that reveal how man spurns God are spoken in regard to how man is an embodiment of Satan and an enemy force against God. When God does the work of judgment, He does not simply make clear the nature of man with just a few words, but carries out revelation, dealing, and pruning over the long term. Such manner of revelation, dealing, and pruning cannot be substituted with ordinary words but with the truth that man does not possess at all. Only such manner of work is deemed judgment; only through such judgment can man be persuaded, be thoroughly convinced into submission to God, and gain true knowledge of God” (“Christ Does the Work of Judgment With the Truth”).

From God’s words, I knew that God uses the truths that man does not possess at all to reveal man’s sins, dissect man’s deeds and words, and carry out long-term revelation, dealing and pruning on man, and that only through such judgment can man be persuaded and be thoroughly convinced into submission. And I also realized: Only by experiencing such judgment personally can I truly feel that God’s work in the last days is to accomplish all with His words. And only if God exposes me with His words, and deals with and prunes me and exposes my satanic nature through the people, matters, and things around me, allowing me to clearly see my ugliness, will I be able to hate myself and achieve a change.

Once in a gathering, when I was sharing my experiences, I repeatedly said such words, “I think” or “I think it should be like this.” A brother pointed out to me that it was arrogant and conceited of me to say so. In the past, if someone criticized me like this, I would certainly reason with him and retort upon him. But I chose to be silent this time, and didn’t argue or justify myself, because I thought of these words in Fellowship and Preaching About Life Entry, “Don’t say ‘I think,’ ‘I feel,’ or something like that anymore. What man thinks is not the truth. Anyone who says these is arrogant and conceited and what he expresses is his satanic disposition.” I thought that the brother’s criticism was right, and that I had no reason to argue. I was utterly convinced and chose to obey, for what man thinks can’t substitute for the truth and it all comes from Satan. Those who always put the word “I” first when speaking are those who don’t have any place for God in their heart and don’t honor God as great.

Later, I read a passage of words in Fellowship and Preaching About Life Entry: “If a person is arrogant, he must have some capital. Look at those who are of good caliber or have some gifts or talents. They believe that they are better than others, so they reveal a very arrogant disposition, having no regard for anyone. This is normal, since they are capable and of ability. If a man really knows himself, feeling himself worthless, will he still be arrogant? He will feel he has nothing that is worth being arrogant about and that he has no capital for being so, and he will not be arrogant anymore. Is this not the case? Someone always thinks that he is better than anyone else, and he can see through anything. What happens one day? He fails in humiliation and suffers great setbacks. Will he still be arrogant? He will feel that he cannot raise his head and dare not see others. Therefore, those with an arrogant disposition will have their arrogant disposition resolved naturally after they have failed several times, been humiliated several times, and received significant dealing and pruning several times. This is what everyone has to go through. After having experienced the judgment and chastisement of God, His dealing and pruning, the discipline of the Holy Spirit, and some failures and setbacks, he will be much more submissive and less arrogant or self-right, and he will seek and ask for others’ advice even on the things he thinks he can see through just in case he is wrong. This is all the result of God’s judgment and chastisement. Therefore, no matter how arrogant or self-right you are, don’t be afraid or worry about it. Just experience the judgment and chastisement of God, accept more pruning and dealing, and especially accept more disciplines of the Holy Spirit, and you will change gradually. No one can help you in this matter, and you have to receive the work of the Holy Spirit by praying to God and seeking the truth yourself. When the Holy Spirit works in you, all the problems will be solved.”

This fellowship was really clear and thorough, through which I realized that it was my arrogant satanic disposition that caused me to stand up high and chide others at home and at the construction site. I had thought that I was capable and could earn money, so I flaunted my seniority and showed respect to no one. I thought that no one was better than me, and I always held myself aloft. After accepting God’s work in the last days, thanks to reading many words of God’s judgment and fellowshiping with my brothers and sisters in the meetings, I had just got some knowledge about my arrogant disposition. Besides, from the fellowship above I also found the way of practice, that is, accepting my brothers’ and sisters’ pruning and dealing, allowing them to point out my problems, and then reflecting on myself according to God’s words and being able to truly hate myself, and ultimately not doing things by my satanic disposition but instead acting according to God’s words. After experiencing being pruned and dealt with and reflecting on myself many times, I would surely have some changes in my arrogant disposition.

As I read more and more of God’s words and constantly live the church life, I become more and more aware that it is really good to accept God’s work in the last days. My brothers and sisters are very warm and sincere toward each other. Everyone is simple and open and communicates his or her own experiences freely. When they express corrupt disposition, they can reflect on themselves according to God’s words. I truly see that Almighty God’s words can change and purify man.

I believe that everyone who truly believes in the Lord is yearning for the return of the Lord Jesus. I will preach God’s kingdom gospel in the last days to my friends and more people. I hope that they can follow the footsteps of the returned Lord like me and see God’s salvation for mankind.

#Lord Jesus #God’s word #Believe in God #be saved #salvation

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iminaloine · 5 years ago

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Writing #2: The earth that she was

Here’s a little tribute to Mother Nature. Enjoy!

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She knew this would happen. From the very first moment the Great One declared their creation, she had been afraid. Of them. Of what they would do, the potential they had to destroy all the she was, all that the Great One created for her.

She was one with the earth, with the land and the sky and the water. She was one with the breath of the wind, with the animals and the life force that flowed deep within everything that she was. But them--not them. She could never be one with them.

She feared them. But the Great One loved them, and forgave them of their transgressions each time. And there were many, many times. She would watch them trample over all the Great One had built for their sake, neglecting the beauty of the world surrounding them, the world that she was. That the Great One created for them.

She asked the Great One how he could watch them and forgive. He responded that it was how they chose to be, and that he would always be accepting of them when they became ashamed and sought forgiveness. That one day they would come to him forever.

But this did not happen. Over and over they rebelled and destroyed, over and over they repented, crushed under the weight of their sins. And the Great One forgave them every time without fail, and she didn't understand it. They were savages, terrors that roamed the earth as if it were their own creation, when they were only inhabitants who had been placed there by the Great One's will. They forsook the Great One's kindness, exploited it, molded it to fit their own crazed ideologies. They morphed false stories about everything that was, everything that was created for them. They made it seem like they created it all. They worshipped themselves, and ruled over themselves, and hated themselves.

They warred.

She hated the wars. And there were many. They hurt her. The chaos they created resonated deep within the land and the sky and the water and it hurt her.

When she was younger, and the wars first began, she had lain on the ground, felt the tremors, the agony that shook the very earth that she was. The pain flowed through her; a dry, hollow feeling that sapped her energy and left her shuddering with terror and misery. The earth called out to her, pleaded for mercy against the savages, and she vowed to help it, to lessen its suffering if she could not eradicate it completely.

As time went by, the cycle repeated. They destroyed and sought redemption and were forgiven, and destroyed. And her fear turned into anger.

And her anger turned into hatred.

And her hatred flowed through her, into the earth, deep within the land and the sky and the water, into everything that they had forsaken, that they had destroyed. Her anger was great. Ferocious, and it expelled itself in torrents that did not relent. And the earth accepted it, for it was not hatred out of evil, but hatred borne of compassion, of empathy.

And the earth took her anger, her hatred, and harnessed it; the land quaked and split, the sky twisted into itself uncontrollably, carried by the wind. The water rose, and rose, and rose still, and then it fell upon them, the evil ones that destroyed and were forgiven. The earth consumed its inhabitants, swallowing them up, leaving behind the animals, and the life force within all that she was. And the earth was grateful, for it was at peace for a little while.

But she was not powerful enough. She was loving, and her hatred could not devour all of them. So she watched over the earth, and when it called out to her for mercy she sent her hatred to swallow them up once again. To bring peace for a little while.

Eventually they knew that it was her, and then they knew who she was. Some feared her, and some loved her. She loved them too, for she could not bring herself to hate anything or anyone that felt that way. The ones that loved her helped her; they protected the earth, and her hatred dimmed, for the earth was peaceful now. For a little while.

They called her Mother Nature. And they protected her, and the land and the sky and the water that she was. And even though the others still destroyed, and her hatred was still loosed upon them, she could see beyond that now. That they could be wonderful. That they could one day be deserving of the Great One's love.

And she would protect them, and the earth that she was, until that day came.

#mother nature #writing #creative writing #i wrote this at 2am while buzzed on caffeine #but it turned out great so i'm not complaining #nature #humanity

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dailychapel · 5 years ago

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Father God we thank you for reconciling us through Jesus Christ, and we praise you for choosing to make redeemed sinners like us your gospel ambassadors to this broken world. Please continue to equip us and use us in your redemptive mission as you graciously bring peace to sinners. Sanctify us for your glory as we confess, repent of, and remember the trespasses that we’ve committed against you. Keep us all humble as we seek reconciliation with other people we’ve wronged. Protect us with the Holy Spirit from our spirit of pride whenever we serve our families, our church, our coworkers, or strangers in need. Though we don’t deserve your forgiveness, we praise you for the unfathomable love and grace that you demonstrate at the cross. Please nourish our hearts daily this week with the words of the Bible and give us courage to proclaim your gospel boldly to all. We pray all this in the name of Jesus and for his sake. Amen.

Psalm 119:113–128 NLT - [Samekh] I hate those with divided loyalties, but I love your instructions. You are my refuge and my shield; your word is my source of hope. Get out of my life, you evil-minded people, for I intend to obey the commands of my God. LORD, sustain me as you promised, that I may live! Do not let my hope be crushed. Sustain me, and I will be rescued; then I will meditate continually on your decrees. But you have rejected all who stray from your decrees. They are only fooling themselves. You skim off the wicked of the earth like scum; no wonder I love to obey your laws! I tremble in fear of you; I stand in awe of your regulations. [Ayin] Don't leave me to the mercy of my enemies, for I have done what is just and right. Please guarantee a blessing for me. Don't let the arrogant oppress me! My eyes strain to see your rescue, to see the truth of your promise fulfilled. I am your servant; deal with me in unfailing love, and teach me your decrees. Give discernment to me, your servant; then I will understand your laws. LORD, it is time for you to act, for these evil people have violated your instructions. Truly, I love your commands more than gold, even the finest gold. Each of your commandments is right. That is why I hate every false way.

Isaiah 11:1–16 NLT - Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot--yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the LORD will rest on him--the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. He will delight in obeying the LORD. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision based on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of a cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the LORD. In that day the heir to David's throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to bring back the remnant of his people--those who remain in Assyria and northern Egypt; in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, and Elam; in Babylonia, Hamath, and all the distant coastlands. He will raise a flag among the nations and assemble the exiles of Israel. He will gather the scattered people of Judah from the ends of the earth. Then at last the jealousy between Israel and Judah will end. They will not be rivals anymore. They will join forces to swoop down on Philistia to the west. Together they will attack and plunder the nations to the east. They will occupy the lands of Edom and Moab, and Ammon will obey them. The LORD will make a dry path through the gulf of the Red Sea. He will wave his hand over the Euphrates River, sending a mighty wind to divide it into seven streams so it can easily be crossed on foot. He will make a highway for the remnant of his people, the remnant coming from Assyria, just as he did for Israel long ago when they returned from Egypt.

Luke 17:20–35, 37 NLT - One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, "When will the Kingdom of God come?" Jesus replied, "The Kingdom of God can't be detected by visible signs. You won't be able to say, 'Here it is!' or 'It's over there!' For the Kingdom of God is already among you." Then he said to his disciples, "The time is coming when you will long to see the day when the Son of Man returns, but you won't see it. People will tell you, 'Look, there is the Son of Man,' or 'Here he is,' but don't go out and follow them. For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other, so it will be on the day when the Son of Man comes. But first the Son of Man must suffer terribly and be rejected by this generation. "When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah's day. In those days, the people enjoyed banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat and the flood came and destroyed them all. "And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot. People went about their daily business--eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building-- until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and burning sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be 'business as usual' right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day a person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. A person out in the field must not return home. Remember what happened to Lot's wife! If you cling to your life, you will lose it, and if you let your life go, you will save it. That night two people will be asleep in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding flour together at the mill; one will be taken, the other left." ... "Where will this happen, Lord?" the disciples asked. Jesus replied, "Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near."

Prayer for Others

Lord’s Prayer Our Father Who art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen

Loving God, we thank you for hearing our prayers, feeding us with your word, and encouraging us in our meeting together. Take us and use us to love and serve you, and all people, in the power of your Spirit and in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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avenger-equalizer-blog · 6 years ago

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Mea Culpa, with justification

Mea Culpa, with justification (let’s end the politically correct witch hunt as I’m not DJT) Dear Editor: Yeah, I’m human. I’ve done some things “wrong”. But I’m not a “witch” and in no way am I similar to Donald Trump. Humans are imperfect, aren’t they? Even Jesus said, when he was addressed as “good teacher” that “There is none good but God.” (Mark 10:18) As I aspire to lead, in whatever capacity God so chooses, I must proactively come clean to prevent my distant and not so distant past, and my many enemies, from clouding the picture of my role and my awesome abilities. When you’re an evangelist, you need to have all your sins and mistakes confessed, forgiven and justified. (One must be redeemed by the blood.) I’ve received that and more. I’m going to exclude so-called minor sins from my youth before I was 18 years old because I wasn’t of the age to fully understand the world or God’s plan for my life. In my late 20’s I sinned against a girl named Dianne by touching her inappropriately and I’ve done some lewd things like masturbate in public in my younger days until like most of us I realized I would get caught. I was a quiet, shy and sexually repressed (at least on the surface) young man who wanted love and had not a girlfriend or romantic relationship until I was nearly 25 years old. God has forgiven and justified me for my so-called sins. I actually confessed the Dianne episode to the State’s Attorney who declined to do anything as no complaint had been made and the statute of limitations had run. The reason I confessed this sin in the first place was not that I had been caught but that the Holy Spirit had “convicted” me in Tallahassee in 1996. (The first step in repenting and being born again. See John 8:9 and various treatises on the subject.) One’s conscience can convict oneself or the Holy Spirit convicts, though the two are hard to tell apart sometimes. The reasons I say I’m justified with Dianne is that 1) she was a stunning beauty who I cared for, 2) we were in a strange sort of threesome with my girlfriend Sue, Dianne’s best friend, traveling and camping together, the three of us. (This happened many years ago, prior to 1989) Diane would kiss me on the lips, touch me lovingly, and Dianne even asked Sue if we could have a full-blown sexual threesome! Also, years afterward, I profusely apologized to her and explained that I had loved her all these years, and I meant it. (I love all people) That doesn’t totally excuse my behavior, but it does not only explain, but in God’s eyes “justifies” it, that is, “just as if I’d never sinned.” (See Romans 8:30, Matthew 12:37, Acts 13:39, Romans 3:24, 28 and various treatises on Christian justification) I also confessed this sin (and the others) to two priests and to psychiatrists, Forgiven, case closed. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) And also some minor accusations of sexual harassment which were never more than innuendo and were dropped. I was trying to be affectionate and loving, unlike other men, who operate only out of their machismo and inflated egos. I love everyone from the young to the old and male and female and even animals and trees and plants. The accusations by my wicked sister and my confused mother that I am a pedophile or predator are ridiculous and are false judgments and condemnations by two women who hate heterosexual men. My sister defamed me by claiming I was being “investigated by the police for child pornography”, which was patently false and which was confirmed by detectives.) This defamatory statement caused me ultimately to be suspended from teaching catechism at our local church. I assert and I cannot lie, I am not a child predator nor a pedophile in the derogatory usage. I would never harm a child of God. That is why I am justified and the “last man standing” while other men (and possibly a few wicked women) will have an all-expense paid trip to the “Resort at Fire Lake” complete with all you can fry Fire & Brimstone bar. And for my satanic sister and mother’s accusations, I say that Helen, our housekeeper, is a hypocrite as she used to grab me without my “permission” and hug me and kiss me and she told me at least 4 or more times that she “loved me” and then I absent-mindedly touched her shoulder in genuine affection and she says (with promptings from my sister, who is truly to blame for this false accusation) I “assaulted” her? (this supposed event happened over 3 years ago and she was so “traumatized” that for two Christmases, she still gave me gifts!) My sister, who is out to destroy my ministry, keeps inciting her to exaggerate and dwell on the past. I, for one, do not believe in adultery. Forgiven, case closed. (all these forgiven “sins” assume Godly repentance which is true remorse and change of attitude and heart) Note from previous articles: There is only one unforgivable sin, that is “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit”, “ (See Mark 3:29) “But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation” which has been done in spades by my enemies, not by me. If you don’t understand what this sin is, look it up. The End of Intimacy? We are becoming so politically correct and intolerant of intimacy and touching that soon we will all be living in our own bubbles! One woman told me that a “romantic friendship”, i.e. “Friends With Benefits,” arrangement was “creepy!” (I guess she prefers a dishonest, pseudo-romantic friendship) Should I even mention my former haircutter Stacy? Over three years ago, I made a comment that she had pretty feet. You’d think I tried to rape her or kill her. She bad-mouthed me around the beauty shop, and maybe around town. And then there’s my “satanic (adopted) sister. ‘I’ll hold off on a full discussion of her defamation (which has made it hard for me to volunteer) as I tried going to court to get a restraining order against Denise, which was gutlessly denied, even though the judge apparently took my affidavit as true). As for my “felony conviction” in 2000, I was patently innocent and I felt forced to plead guilty (to stalking/harassment) in Pennsylvania only because I knew I wouldn’t get a fair trial and I was offered freedom and probation (after having served six months in Bridgewater State Hospital prison in Massachusetts, where I was locked up with gang criminals and murderers, and put in solitary) (See my blog article and the accompanying Reader’s Digest article on innocent people making plea deals.) The amazing thing is that not only was there a lack of malicious intent, but I was actually trying to save and help this so-called victim, who was so evil that she went after me to cover up her illegal S&M business, including prostitution, tax evasion, illegal drug use, unlawful restraint, aggravated physical and sexual assault, and most likely perjury, bribery and corruption! Likewise, I assert that the Cedarcrest State Hospital episode (2008-09) (photos of God’s beautiful creatures and claims of justification on my website which a stuffy psychologist called “unreasonable”) was institutional and government overreach and persecution of an innocent evangelist, in violation of my first amendment (and other) rights. Psychology and the justice system just doesn’t get it! Hypocrisy and a World that Just Doesn’t Get It! With a Godly man like myself being is being accused of vague “inappropriate behavior” for trying to be affectionate and loving as a Christian is commanded to do, women and many men become totally hypocritical when they condemn sexual misconduct, much of a minor nature, and yet support the holocaust of abortion of millions of unborn children. One abortion rights activist stated that she was “glad that we had a report that over 2 million unborn children were aborted.” That meant to her that the constitutional right to abortion was “alive and well”, no pun intended. How can we condemn a pat on the shoulder or a random comment when we willfully kill our unborn children before they have a chance to even have an opinion on their own fate? And as I stated previously, we seem to want to maximize, rather than minimize, the harm done to women and children, wanting to make political every “bad act” by men to ensure that women are in a morally superior position in order to take over power. However, to their credit, women are far more faithful than men. Therefore, this diatribe is aimed at women only to the extent that they are hypocritical in coming after me, the One who is on their side and offers them an assessment which will condemn most men and bring about the Kingdom of Heaven, which women would welcome if they understood its true composition. We must put aside our mistrust of God and wait for the fulfillment of the covenant of grace which is impending. Justification, Forgiveness and Making Amends During and later in my "conversion" experience, to further save me from God’s judgement, I did what the twelve step programs call "making amends", as best I could, in 1998-99 prior to starting Spread the Word Ministries. I contacted all those I may have hurt in my life and expressed my remorse and sorrow for having offended them. I did what I could to make things right. That's all a Christian can do, and it leads to forgiveness and justification, and of course salvation, as described earlier. Also, this whole process is known as being "redeemed" by the blood of Christ. Redemption comes only from repentance through true remorse. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world (merely being sorry you got caught) worketh death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10, parentheses added) Also, Jesus and the New Testament call us to a higher law, that is the “law of love.” In fact, if someone truly loves, they are not under the law or the ten commandments, which was merely the summary of the Old Testament’s legalistic approach. “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8) I state categorically that I love all men and women, boys, girls and nature and animals, with all my heart, mind soul and strength, as I love God and my enemies. Therefore, I have “fulfilled the law”! This is justification and redemption! The Over-Sexualizing of Society (from my forthcoming blog/article) Our highly technologically-linked society is a communications juggernaut when it comes to imparting values relating to sexuality and relationships. Advertising, TV, movies and other media portray sexuality and relationships in a casual and morally hazy and ambivalent light. Young people watch these portrayals and learn that sex is not sacred, nor tied to love or committed relationships and is now considered a sport, where orgasms are not loving or holy but mere quantitative “highs” like an opiate high. This decimation of sexuality comes with so much focus on sex that we are “turned on” every time we look at TV, movies, magazines or other media. I’m not saying we can or should go back to the mid -19th century, as the conservative, fundamental Baptists and other conservative sects try to do, but we need to learn to reclaim some of our modesty, such as the recent focus on girls (and boys) retaining their virginity until marriage, or at least until maturity. Does anyone wonder why there is so many sexual offenders? Girls dress like whores and get drunk at bars. That, of course, does not give these despicable men license to abuse, but if we want to reduce the rate of sexual offenses and recidivism, we have to look at how females portray themselves in public. We have to face it, that bikini-clad females do elicit a response in males and that is not bad in and of itself. But we must be cognizant of the response and make sure that public shows of sexuality are reasonable and appropriate. In other words, if we want men and boys to act appropriately, women and girls must do likewise. Anything else is just hypocrisy. Sexuality and relationships should not be used as weapons! And obviously sex and love should not be separate entities but should gel and produce real, deep romantic and intimate and Godly relationships. Summary Like I mentioned in my last blog, I have been touched and fondled without my permission many times by women (and rarely men) and I did not ever make a “federal case“ out of it and in each case I let it go. Women are on an ill-fated witch hunt for sexual predators. Trust that God knows the “witches” from the good guys and will punish those who truly deserve it with unquenchable fire. Let’s end the witch hunt and leave it to God. With Trump as President (the most powerful man in the world! (gasp!), can we really judge men on minor offenses as not worthy of their important positions? I could see men with numerous infractions and more serious offenses being taken down totally, but just minor touching of adult women??? (I know it’s hard to define what is major and minor) They probably should be punished in some form but their careers and lives totally ruined? Why don’t we tie a rope around their neck and attach a heavy rock and throw them in the ocean? That’s the only thing worse than a life sentence for hugging! From my recent Tweet: Current attacks on men for "sexual misconduct" sets the equivalent of a life sentence for even very slight offenses. We should not condemn without discerning the severity of the inappropriate behavior and the extent of extenuating circumstances including sincere repentance. Conclusion Again, is our goal to destroy our ability to do good in the world, and are we a Christian or at least a forgiving nation? The #MeToo/#Time’sUp movement is becoming self-righteous and sanctimoniously hypocritical and might be accused of piling on, except that the vast majority of the men involved deserve their punishment because they have treated women like dirt (failure to love) and have not repented, and have no real remorse, most of their apologies being mere pro forma. Does the world want only unrepentant and phony “strategic liars” to rule our media, businesses and government? Or do we want a justified and glorified and totally truthful and Godly, benevolent Man to lead us? A Man who loves everyone unconditionally! That Man’s coming is imminent and His name is Jesus and I for one will continue to tell the Truth, whether people listen or not. Signed, Stephen M. Theriault Stephen M. Theriault is the author of The Practical Guide to Real Christianity and is organizer/founder of International Citizens Against Corruption and Overdevelopment, one of many groups he has begun. (on Facebook) and Avenger-Equalizer blog. Avenger/Equalizer Blog: www.theavenger.us (also on Facebook and Tumblr, as well as TheJesusReport blog found only on Tumblr.) I am @stevetheriault9 on Twitter.com.

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thejesusreport · 7 years ago

Text

Mea Culpa, with justification (let’s end the politically correct witch hunt)

Stephen M. Theriault ____________________________________________________________ “LOVE ONE ANOTHER” 424 Prospect St. Plantsville, CT 06479 USA Tel. 860-302-8099 [email protected] Blog: www.theavenger.us March 12, 2018 Editorial Board or Director

Mea Culpa, with justification (let’s end the politically correct witch hunt)

Dear Editor:

Yeah, I’m human. I’ve done some things “wrong”. But I’m not a “witch” and in no way am I similar to Donald Trump! Humans are imperfect, aren’t they? Even Jesus said, when he was addressed as “good teacher” that “There is none good but God.” (Mark 10:18) As I aspire to lead, in whatever capacity God so chooses, I must proactively come clean to prevent my distant and not so distant past, and my many enemies, from clouding the picture of my role and my awesome abilities. When you’re an evangelist, you need to have all your sins and mistakes confessed, forgiven and justified. (One must be redeemed by the blood.) I’ve received that and more. I’m going to exclude so-called minor sins from my youth before I was 18 years old because I wasn’t of the age to fully understand the world or God’s plan for my life. In my late 20’s I sinned against a girl named Dianne by touching her inappropriately and I’ve done some lewd things like masturbate in public in my younger days until like most of us I realized I would get caught. I was a quiet, shy and sexually repressed (at least on the surface) young man who wanted love and had not a girlfriend or romantic relationship until I was nearly 25 years old. God has forgiven and justified me for my so-called sins. I actually confessed the Dianne episode to the State’s Attorney who declined to do anything as no complaint had been made and the statute of limitations had run. The reason I confessed this sin in the first place was not that I had been caught but that the Holy Spirit had “convicted” me in Tallahassee in 1996. (The first step in repenting and being born again. See John 8:9 and various treatises on the subject.) One’s conscience can convict oneself or the Holy Spirit convicts, though the two are hard to tell apart sometimes. The reasons I say I’m justified with Dianne is that 1) she was a stunning beauty who I cared for, 2) we were in a strange sort of threesome with my girlfriend Sue, Dianne’s best friend, traveling and camping together, the three of us. (This happened many years ago, prior to 1989) Diane would kiss me on the lips, touch me lovingly, and Dianne even asked Sue if we could have a full-blown sexual threesome! Also, years afterward, I profusely apologized to her and explained that I had loved her all these years, and I meant it. (I love all people) That doesn’t totally excuse my behavior, but it does not only explain, but in God’s eyes “justifies” it, that is, “just as if I’d never sinned.” (See Romans 8:30, Matthew 12:37, Acts 13:39, Romans 3:24, 28 and various treatises on Christian justification) I also confessed this sin (and the others) to two priests and to psychiatrists, Forgiven, case closed. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) And also some minor accusations of sexual harassment which were never more than innuendo and were dropped. I was trying to be affectionate and loving, unlike other men, who operate only out of their machismo and inflated egos. I love everyone from the young to the old and male and female and even animals and trees and plants. The accusations by my wicked sister and my confused mother that I am a pedophile or predator are ridiculous and are false judgments and condemnations by two women who hate heterosexual men. My sister defamed me by claiming I was being “investigated by the police for child pornography”, which was patently false and which was confirmed by detectives.) This defamatory statement caused me ultimately to be suspended from teaching catechism at our local church. I assert and I cannot lie, I am not a child predator nor a pedophile in the derogatory usage. I would never harm a child of God. That is why I am justified and the “last man standing” while other men (and possibly a few wicked women) will have an all-expense paid trip to the “Resort at Fire Lake” complete with all you can fry Fire & Brimstone bar. And for my satanic sister and mother’s accusations, I say that Helen, our housekeeper, is a hypocrite as she used to grab me without my “permission” and hug me and kiss me and she told me at least 4 or more times that she “loved me” and then I absent-mindedly touched her shoulder in genuine affection and she says (with promptings from my sister, who is truly to blame for this false accusation) I “assaulted” her? (this supposed event happened over 3 years ago and she was so “traumatized” that for two Christmases, she still gave me gifts!) My sister, who is out to destroy my ministry, keeps inciting her to exaggerate and dwell on the past. I, for one, do not believe in adultery. Forgiven, case closed. (all these forgiven “sins” assume Godly repentance which is true remorse and change of attitude and heart) Note from previous articles: There is only one unforgivable sin, that is “blasphemy of the Holy Spirit”, “ (See Mark 3:29) “But he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation” which has been done in spades by my enemies, not by me. If you don’t understand what this sin is, look it up.

The End of Intimacy?

We are becoming so politically correct and intolerant of intimacy and touching that soon we will all be living in our own bubbles! One woman told me that a “romantic friendship”, i.e. “Friends With Benefits,” arrangement was “creepy!” (I guess she prefers a dishonest, pseudo-romantic friendship) Should I even mention my former haircutter Stacy? Over three years ago, I made a comment that she had pretty feet. You’d think I tried to rape her or kill her. She bad-mouthed me around the beauty shop, and maybe around town. And then there’s my “satanic (adopted) sister. ‘I’ll hold off on a full discussion of her defamation (which has made it hard for me to volunteer) as I tried going to court to get a restraining order against Denise, which was gutlessly denied, even though the judge apparently took my affidavit as true). As for my “felony conviction” in 2000, I was patently innocent and I felt forced to plead guilty (to stalking/harassment) in Pennsylvania only because I knew I wouldn’t get a fair trial and I was offered freedom and probation (after having served six months in Bridgewater State Hospital prison in Massachusetts, where I was locked up with gang criminals and murderers, and put in solitary) (See my blog article and the accompanying Reader’s Digest article on innocent people making plea deals.) The amazing thing is that not only was there a lack of malicious intent, but I was actually trying to save and help this so-called victim, who was so evil that she went after me to cover up her illegal S&M business, including prostitution, tax evasion, illegal drug use, unlawful restraint, aggravated physical and sexual assault, and most likely perjury, bribery and corruption! Likewise, I assert that the Cedarcrest State Hospital episode (2008-09) (photos of God’s beautiful creatures and claims of justification on my website which a stuffy psychologist called “unreasonable”) was institutional and government overreach and persecution of an innocent evangelist, in violation of my first amendment (and other) rights.

Psychology and the justice system just don't get it!

Hypocrisy and a World that Just Doesn’t Get It! When a Godly man like myself is being accused of vague “inappropriate behavior” for trying to be affectionate and loving as a Christian is commanded to do, it's clear that women and many men become totally hypocritical when they condemn sexual misconduct, much of a minor nature, and yet support the holocaust of abortion of millions of unborn children! One abortion rights activist stated that she was “glad that we had a report that over 2 million unborn children were aborted.” That meant to her that the constitutional right to abortion was “alive and well”, no pun intended. How can we condemn a pat on the shoulder or a random comment when we willfully kill our unborn children before they have a chance to even have an opinion on their own fate? And as I stated previously, we seem to want to maximize, rather than minimize, the harm done to women and children, wanting to make political every “bad act” by men to ensure that women are in a morally superior position in order to take over power. However, to their credit, women are far more faithful than men. Therefore, this diatribe is aimed at women only to the extent that they are hypocritical in coming after me, the One who is on their side and offers them an assessment which will condemn most men and bring about the Kingdom of Heaven, which women would welcome if they understood its true composition. We must put aside our mistrust of God and wait for the fulfillment of the covenant of grace which is impending. Justification, Forgiveness and Making Amends During and later in my “conversion” experience, to further save me from God’s judgement, I did what the twelve step programs call “making amends”, as best I could, in 1998-99 prior to starting Spread the Word Ministries. I contacted all those I may have hurt in my life and expressed my remorse and sorrow for having offended them. I did what I could to make things right. That’s all a Christian can do, and it leads to forgiveness and justification, and of course salvation, as described earlier. Also, this whole process is known as being “redeemed” by the blood of Christ. Redemption comes only from repentance through true remorse. “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world (merely being sorry you got caught) worketh death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10, parentheses added) Also, Jesus and the New Testament call us to a higher law, that is the “law of love.” In fact, if someone truly loves, they are not under the law or the ten commandments, which was merely the summary of the Old Testament’s legalistic approach. “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” (Romans 13:8) I state categorically that I love all men and women, boys, girls and nature and animals, with all my heart, mind soul and strength, as I love God and my enemies. Therefore, I have “fulfilled the law”! This is justification and redemption!

The Over-Sexualizing of Society (from my forthcoming blog/article)

Our highly technologically-linked society is a communications juggernaut when it comes to imparting values relating to sexuality and relationships. Advertising, TV, movies and other media portray sexuality and relationships in a casual and morally hazy and ambivalent light. Young people watch these portrayals and learn that sex is not sacred, nor tied to love or committed relationships and is now considered a sport, where orgasms are not loving or holy but mere quantitative “highs” like an opiate high. This decimation of sexuality comes with so much focus on sex that we are “turned on” every time we look at TV, movies, magazines or other media. I’m not saying we can or should go back to the mid -19th century, as the conservative, fundamental Baptists and other conservative sects try to do, but we need to learn to reclaim some of our modesty, such as the recent focus on girls (and boys) retaining their virginity until marriage, or at least until maturity. Does anyone wonder why there is so many sexual offenders? Girls dress like whores and get drunk at bars. That, of course, does not give these despicable men license to abuse, but if we want to reduce the rate of sexual offenses and recidivism, we have to look at how females portray themselves in public. We have to face it, that bikini-clad females do elicit a response in males and that is not bad in and of itself. But we must be cognizant of the response and make sure that public shows of sexuality are reasonable and appropriate. In other words, if we want men and boys to act appropriately, women and girls must do likewise. Anything else is just hypocrisy. Sexuality and relationships should not be used as weapons! And obviously sex and love should not be separate entities but should gel and produce real, deep romantic and intimate and Godly relationships.

Summary

Like I mentioned in my last blog, I have been touched and fondled without my permission many times by women (and rarely men) and I did not ever make a “federal case“ out of it and in each case I let it go. Women are on an ill-fated witch hunt for sexual predators. Trust that God knows the “witches” from the good guys and will punish those who truly deserve it with unquenchable fire. Let’s end the witch hunt and leave it to God. With Trump as President (the most powerful man in the world! (gasp!), can we really judge men on minor offenses as not worthy of their important positions? I could see men with numerous infractions and more serious offenses being taken down totally, but just minor touching of adult women??? (I know it’s hard to define what is major and minor) They probably should be punished in some form but their careers and lives totally ruined? Why don’t we tie a rope around their neck and attach a heavy rock and throw them in the ocean? That’s the only thing worse than a life sentence for hugging! From my recent Tweet: Current attacks on men for “sexual misconduct” sets the equivalent of a life sentence for even very slight offenses. We should not condemn without discerning the severity of the inappropriate behavior and the extent of extenuating circumstances including sincere repentance. Conclusion Again, is our goal to destroy our ability to do good in the world, and are we a Christian or at least a forgiving nation? The #MeToo/#Time’sUp movement is becoming self-righteous and sanctimoniously hypocritical and might be accused of piling on, except that the vast majority of the men involved deserve their punishment because they have treated women like dirt and have not repented, and have no real remorse, most of their apologies being mere pro forma. Does the world want only unrepentant and phony “strategic liars” to rule our media, businesses and government? Or do we want a justified and glorified and totally truthful and Godly, benevolent Man to lead us? A Man who loves everyone unconditionally! That Man’s coming is imminent and His name is Jesus and I for one will continue to tell the Truth, whether people listen or not.

Signed, Stephen M. Theriault

Stephen M. Theriault is the author of The Practical Guide to Real Christianity and is organizer/founder of International Citizens Against Corruption and Overdevelopment, one of many groups he has begun. (on Facebook) and Avenger-Equalizer blog. Avenger/Equalizer Blog: www.theavenger.us (also on Facebook and Tumblr, as well as TheJesusReport blog found only on Tumblr.) I am @stevetheriault9 on Twitter.com.

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yourgodmoments · 8 years ago

Text

We All Slip Sometimes

There was only one sinless man that ever walked this earth - Jesus Christ:

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor. 5:21 NKJV

The rest of us? Well…

Adam and Eve began the practice of slipping (sinning) when they used their free will to indulge in pride, acting out their desire to be like God.

Cain majorly slipped when he killed his brother in a fit of rage that was rooted in envy.

King David and King Solomon surrendered to the lust of the eyes and of the flesh.

The apostle Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament (previously a murderer of the church), said this about himself:

…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 1 Tim. 1:15 NKJV

What chance then, do we have?

We only have one, but it’s a mighty BIG one - it is found in the immeasurable grace of God.

God wants you to live your perfect highest and best life, full of peace, love, joy and happiness. But you’re not living that way when you slip. Slipping is when you allow yourself to get lost in your base desires, those that have been proscribed by your Creator. He hates to see that because it does you harm; and what hurts you, hurts Him.

You were created innately good:

Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. Gn. 1:31 NKJV

Unfortunately, everyone that was or will be conceived on this planet has been tainted by by the error (sin) of Adam and Eve:

…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… Rm. 3:23 NKJV

But, it’s the very next two verses that brings hope:

…being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed…

Rm. 3:24, 25. NKJV

When we accept Christ, we are transformed, our spirits becoming one with Him as we return to the original creative intent of God, being restored to life:

“I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Jn. 10:10 NKJV

We receive His resurrection power, freed from the death of sin, motivated to take godly action. Our eyes are opened by the faith that Jesus brings to us by the Spirit. Thus filled, we begin the stepwise transformation towards our Savior’s image, which invites God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit to come and dwell in our spirits.

We can lean on Christ to strengthen our will to walk in His footsteps and to live for Him. And this process is not one of bondage, but of liberty - to live free as God intended. We get to make the free will choice to live in His love by moving in His will.

That very same love from God is found in His statutes. He did not lay down laws to be dictatorial, but instead set them before us to protect us from the shortcomings of our flesh. Our obedience to them propagates our transformation.

Yes, this walk is one that is opposite of the way the world moves; and that’s a good thing. The world revolves around lies set forth to justify sin, so that the agenda of the adversary may be manifested. Unfortunately, that manifestation will be achieved in most of the world.

That’s why the telling of the salvation message is so imperative. God sends His children to the lost to show them the Christ they have within, Who, is freely available to all. We are emissaries for the love of God, brought forth not only to enrich those consciously receiving that love, but also to decimate the evil in those who feel that they are not.

Yet, even the followers of Jesus are not spared temptation. The devil plays no favorites, but I’m sure he is especially delighted if he can influence believers to indulge in apostasy. Thus, we must be vigilant with regards to our thoughts and actions. We must keep them centered on love, on Jesus.

When we slip, and we all slip sometimes, it is crucial that we get down on our knees before our Father immediately, to confess and repent. We can be motivated to do this by His mercy (found in grace):

But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lm. 3:21 - 24. ESV

God wants to forgive you. He knows that you have slipped into your flesh, and that sin is satanically sourced. Therefore, it’s deadly, and if left to its own devices, death-binding.

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. I Jn. 3:8 ESV

That’s not what God wants for you:

“Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. For why should you die…? For I have no pleasure in the death of one who dies, “says the Lord GOD. “Therefore, turn and live!” Ezek. 18:31, 32. NKV

Life is not always easy. We are points of light, set living in an ocean of darkness. We must stay alert to keep from drowning. But if we start to succumb, God always has His hand outstretched:

‘Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, i will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’ Is. 41:10 NKJV

He strengthens us in our faith, in His word and through prayer He bolsters us in our self-discipline to help us regain our toehold on our spiritual path. We respond with gratitude and love, and the acknowledgement of our need for His grace.

God puts His salvation in place (Christ) and you are freed once more…

“I, even I, and He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins.” Is. 43:25 NKJV

For the death that He died, He died to sin one for all… Rm. 6:10 NASB

Goodnight and God bless.

#all are tempted #Christ saves sinners #everyone sins #grace of God #Jesus brings life #merciful God forgives #Salvation through Christ #we all slip

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larksinging · 8 years ago

Text

James Cd Case Packet: Mix Notes

alright here’s another long post about my song choices for this mix

THE HARDEST THING

i wanted another sh2 mix that was less industrial/hard rock than those tend to be so i made this. i have less to say about some of these songs because i feel some of it is a little bit more... self-evident?

i. the view - modest mouse

“If life's not beautiful without the pain / well I'd just rather never ever even see beauty again / Well as life gets longer, awful feels softer / And it feels pretty soft to me [...] For every good deed done there is a crime committed”

i feel this one is just a good mood setter for how like... overall fucked up james’ situation is. his situation does stem from getting hit with something awful and tragic and struggling to deal with that. what really sold it for me was the “for every good deed done there is a crime committed” with the radio static-y distortions

“You loved her, right?”

ii. satin in a coffin - modest mouse

“Are you here right now / or are there probably fossils under your meat? [...] Are you dead or are you sleepin'? / God I sure hope you are dead. / Well now the blow's been softened / since the ocean is our coffin / Often times you know our laughter / is your coffin ever after.”

“ Or maybe... you hated her."

i wanted to do some more messing with duality via song choices, so here we have two songs by the same artist back to back. besides the fixation on death in this song, i chose it as the flip side of the love/hate issue with james and mary. after all, there are times james wished she was dead, weren’t there?

iii. my secret friend (remix) - IAMX

“Oh take me to the river / My secret friend / So we can swim forever”

setting up another duality, but this one is mostly mood. think of it as james entering silent hill - the eerie and vaguely foreboding mood of the song sort of captures the fogworld. also, water themes.

iv. vices - brand new

“Those days are dead / (forgive me) / We need vices to wave to the good old days / She said goodbye to the ground / She said goodbye to the ground”

wow it would be SURE NICE if this song could ACTUALLY PLAY ON THE MIX. anyways. this song starts out soft and gentle, like some old style song, and then shifts very suddenly into a much harder rock. that felt very appropriate. anyway the concepts of something lost and a need for vices, or sin/something carnal seems... very appropriate for james

v. kettering - the antlers

“I wish that I had known in that first minute we met, the unpayable debt that I owed you”

it’s the first in a series! honestly you could probably just put on the antler’s hospice album and practically call that a sh2 mix, but, you know. a lot of the themes are similar - the struggle of losing someone, dealing with the slow death of a loved one, the strained relationship that follows and abuse. while james and mary are nowhere near as unhealthy as the couple in hospice, at they end things definitely got bad. it still works very well

vi. get out (acoustic) - circa survive

“I can't get started from the part where I left off yesterday / Should've spent my time a little wiser / I sat alone guilty as sin waiting for words to come / From out of my head still making sense to anyone [...] Lock myself up in a room without a window just to see / If it was any easier to breathe / I was wrong”

i like this song for the sense of confusion from the weight of the burden. there’s a kind of self-destructive desperation in the pursuit of understand that honestly characterizes james’ pursuit of “mary”. also, suffocation themes. while the original version is more energetic and jarring, i felt the slightly subdued acoustic version was more appropriate here

vii. daisy - brand new

“I'm a river that is all dried up / I'm an ocean nothing floats on [...] Well if we take all these things / and we bury them fast [...] Or if the sky opened up and started pouring rain / Like he knew it was time / to start things over again / It'd be all right, it's all right / it'd be easier that way”

james is a... conflicted person, and i like the chaotic mood of this song to represent this. there’s a sense of self-loathing and uselessness that really speaks to the heart of james’ character. the mix of wanting to move forward and also being stuck on the past and the easy route. also, water themes. also, another duality, since there are two songs by brand new

viii. my secret friend - IAMX (feat. Imogen Heap)

“My secret friend/ I'll take you to the river / My secret friend / So we can swim forever / In your skin / To die a little death / This time there's no code word / When everyday frays in hollow ends / Dream sweet love submissive”

the original version of the remix from earlier. this one feels a bit darker, more subdued, which i feel reflects how one’s perception of the town as you go along. i also like that this is a duet, which seems... appropriate. also, water themes.

ix. against the tide - celldweller

“Under the waves we're sinking like a stone / I'm sorry son, you're reaping what you've sown [...] This sorrow weighs down on my shoulders / This fear is getting harder to hide / You'll leave me alone in this darkness /Left to hold out /Against the tide”

james is crushed by the weight of his own actions. “you’re reaping what you sow” - this is, ultimately, james’ doing. maybe a song for pyramid head? anyway i feel the theme of this is pretty clear in its relationship to james. also, to beat a dead horse, water themes! this may also be the closest to the sh vocal track sound as this mix gets

x. holocaust - jordaan mason (original by big star)

“Your mother's dead / You're on your own / She's in her bed”

replace “mother” with “wife” and... well. the mood and feeling of this song is the most mary-ish of them all, and i chose it to capture the quiet misery and hopelessness of that whole situation. listening to this song doesn’t feel good in a really purposeful way.

xi. epilogue - the antlers

“I think you buried me awake (my one and only parting gift) / But you return to me at night / Just when I think I may have fallen asleep / Your face is up against mine / And I'm too terrified to speak / You're screaming / And cursing / And angry / And hurting me / And then smiling / And crying / Apologizing”

another song off of hospice. the scenario of seeing a dead loved one in a dream as a nightmare is... basically james’ silent hill experience? anyway i feel this captures more than anything the complexity of emotions going on between them during mary’s last day. as if the lines i quoted above aren’t basically the hallway conversation

xii. kings of medicine - placebo

“Don't leave me here to pass through time / Without a map or road sign / Don't leave me here, my guiding light / 'Cause I, I wouldn't know where to begin / I ask the kings of medicine / But it seems they've lost their power / Now all I'm left with is the hour”

this mix needed a song that was completely and purely just james’ grief. kings of medicine is an expression of - a healthier kind of grief, maybe? it comes at the end of the mix as james’ grief through the lens of the truth. or maybe in the past? but the explicitness of being lost without mary. i like just the pure power of this song

xiii. vindicated - dashboard confessional

“I am Vindicated / I am selfish / I am wrong / I am right, I swear I'm right / I swear I knew it all along / And I am flawed / But I am cleaning up so well / I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself [...] Just one touch and I'd be in / Too deep now to ever swim against the current / So let me slip away [...] Slight hope / It dangles on a string / Like slow spinning redemption...”

the thing about silent hill - about james’ story - is, at the end of it, there is a sliver of hope. i mean, more or less depending on the ending, but there is always the possibility of growth. of... healing? james reaches a point where he has the opportunity to move forward. mary forgives him, mary asks him to do what’s best for him/live for himself. that’s what this song is - the flicker of hope, the ability for james to become a better person. also: water themes!

xiv. wake - the antlers

“It was easier to lock the doors and kill the phones than to show my skin / because the hardest thing is never to repent for someone else / it's letting people in [...] Some patients can't be saved, but that burden's not on you.”

how could i not end with another song from hospice? wake is the song that likewise has that glimmer of hope, but in this case it represents a move towards self-forgiveness. after all, mary is dead, her last will and testament is just the letter. it’s ultimately james who has to forgive himself. while uh there is a bit more legitimate blame in mary’s death, her illness was something that was never his fault. if the last song is the final boss battle and mary cutscene, this is mary’s letter

i could have included something to indicate at all of the endings (none of these, for example, really gesture towards in water or maria). there might be a slight lean towards leave, but i like to think it matches just the games’ mood in general. i have a few songs that were cut - most notably fever dreams by circa survive (replaced with get out), but most of my ideas made it on.

#long post cw #silent hill #james sunderland #ask to tag

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yourgodmoments · 8 years ago

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Two-Sided Salvation - part 7

On the one side, the unsaved side, we are mercilessly buffeted by temptations that attempt to entice us to transgress against God. These temptations are not some kind of God test:

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God” [for temptation does not originate from God, but from our own flaws]; for God cannot be tempted by [what is] evil, and He Himself tempts no one. But each is tempted when he is dragged away, enticed and baited [to commit sin] by his own [worldly] desire (lust, passion). James 1:13 ,14. AMP

Temptation is what Satan beguiles you with, hoping that you will fulfill the desires of your flesh:

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 Jn. 3:8 NKJV

The devil speaks, many times we listen and then make the free-will decision to act upon his suggestions. Ultimately, it’s our own fault.

So, what about when you reach the side of salvation? Unfortunately, the temptations persist. And the patterns can remain the same - in spite of our best intentions. Look at what the apostle Paul (who was Holy Spirit-inspired to write most of the New Testament) had to say about his own struggles:

We know that the Law is spiritual, but I am a creature of the flesh [worldly, self-reliant - carnal and unspiritual], sold into slavery to sin [and serving under its control]. For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled and bewildered by them]. I do not practice what I want to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate [and yielding to my human nature, my worldliness - my sinful capacity]. Rm. 7:14, 15. AMP

Paul is saying that regardless of what he knows to be right spiritually, he still yields to the weakness of his flesh, and sins. Why? When we are saved, our spirit is perfected in our union with God. With regards to our flesh, we are still humans being perfected. (2 Cor. 3;18) Even those who are saved will continue to sin:

“…there is no one who does not sin…” 2 Chr. 6:36

And unrepentant sin leads to death (James 1:15), but those who have received the salvation of God through Christ, are blessed with an entirely different outcome. First, lets return to the struggles of the apostle Paul, knowing that this mighty man of God had to fight the same battles that we do:

Now if I habitually do what I do not want to do, [that means] I agree with the Law, confessing that it is good (morally excellent). So now [if that is the case, then] it is no longer I who do it [the disobedient thing which I despise], but the sin [nature] which lives in me. For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh [my human nature, my worldliness - my sinful capacity]. For the willingness [to do good is present in me, but the doing of good is not. For the good that I want to do, I do not do, but I practice the very evil I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want to do, I am no longer the one doing it [that is, it is not me that acts], but the sin [nature] which lives in me. Rm. 7:16 - 20. AMP

So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. Rm. 7:21 - 25. ESV

As we’ve seen, salvation (on this earth) involves the cleansing (sanctification and justification) of our spirits. Our flesh is a burden that we must contend with until the final (heavenly) realization of our deliverance - when our bodies are transformed and transcendent over their former state:

So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raise in glory. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. 1 Cor. 15:42 - 44. NKJV

Wow. But until then, we must struggle with our flesh while cultivating our spirit. Cultivating our spirit consists of continually immersing ourselves in the word of God and reminding ourselves of the sacrifice of the Father and of the Son for our salvation and of the magnitude or their love and the changes that it makes in our lives. We honor that by living as Christ lived to the best of our ability.

We were created to be free from the clutches of the world and of the puppeteer (Satan) who is pulling the strings in the shadows of it. In our redemption, we are given an unction to see the world through the eyes of God, knowing the difference between good and evil and the connection between our actions and their consequences.

Our minds must be renewed in Christ daily:

…regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, and be continually renewed in the spirit to your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], and put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God’s image [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God you gratitude for your salvation]. Eph. 4:22 - 24. AMP

That way we remain present to our actions, able to guide them as best we can. The holds true for our emotions, embracing them to understand them instead of letting our old unconscious hurts drive our conduct. We understand that our thoughts and actions also affect everyone around us; and when those actions are based in love and compassion there will be less suffering and more joy.

Whatever happened in the past is in the past. God has renewed you in your redemption; given you a new lease on life. There is no one to blame anymore, no grudges to hold, no sorrow to harbor. Let everything go. You have everything you need to be happy right now. Focus on that.

Christ has set you free. (Jn. 8:36) Always be honest with yourself with regards to what you think or do, so that you walk in truth and give up self-condemnation - doing your best to curb your old ways of being:

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Rm. 8:1 - 4. NASB

If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Christ Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Rm. 8:10, 11. NASB

God’s love for you never waivers, regardless of what side of salvation you are on. However, once you pray for your redemption, you are now living under God’s gracious approval, crossing the open gate to His presence forever.

Oh, you will still fall down from time to time. That ball and chain that is your flesh can weigh you down at times, and sometimes you’ll give in. But now, you are practicing awareness. Instead of burying these mistakes and have them eat away at you, you can go to your Father on your knees in confession and repentance, and you will have access to the forgiveness of your deliverance.

You can pare down the frequency of these ‘falls,’ by relying on Christ when you feel temptations coming your way:

No temptation [regardless of its source] has overtaken or enticed you that is not common to human experience [nor is any temptation unusual or beyond human resistance]; but God is faithful [to HIs word - He is compassionate and trustworthy], and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability [to resist], but along with the temptation He [has in the past and is now and[ will [always] provide the way out as well, so that you will be able to endure it [without yielding, and will overcome temptation with joy]. 1 Cor. 10:13 AMP

Also, you can evaluate your intended deed against the word of Christ before you leap. As you apply more of Jesus in your life, your desire to partake in worldly behavior will decrease. You become more of your real self and less of that one that took on the ways of the world.

God has already accepted you. You cannot earn your way to redemption. Neither can you lose it unless your sinning becomes chronically and rebelliously willful; but it will never happen because of your human frailty. That’s why God offers you salvation in the first place. You can’t do it on your own. He pardons you with the gift of His love. In Christ, He loves the sinners and reaches out to pluck them from their deathly predicaments:

…Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners… 1 Tim. 1:15 NASB

God encourages us to come to Him just as we are, so that we can get all our sin-debts wiped off of His Book of Life, leaving only a Christ-purified signature of permanent membership. When we do that with faith in what the gospel says, absolution is guaranteed.

Salvation is already set up for everyone. Your sins have already been forgiven. God is just waiting for you to bring your faith in that it is done (through Christ), and for you to receive it with thanksgiving…

Goodnight and God bless.

#cultivating our spirit #justified by faith #resisting temptation #sanctification #satan speaks temptation #temptation is not partial #two sided salvation #we all sin

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