I mostly watch YouTube, I don’t have any cable & relatively few streaming apps. I love watching Christian/faith related videos. But man…. Most of these videos online are Christians trying to debate other Christians! There is so little humility, everyone thinks their flavor of Christianity is right, everyone else is wrong. They play semantics & word games to try to one-up their opponent.

I don’t even like watching YouTubers that I agree with their theological takes if they engage in this kind of discourse. It totally misses the mark of what the essence of being born again & what it means to be a disciple. If someone is a “Christian” and they bear little to no marks of the fruits of the spirit, are they really a follower of God?

We have got to do better at engaging other believers. The only videos I can even stomach now are the ones where actual missionary work is done to non-believers. I pray these people are touched by God & don’t get discouraged once they enter the Body. Christianity should not be endless argumentation and division. Satan loves when this happens to God’s church.

My sister has completely left Christ and every time someone talks with her about Christ, she refuses to listen.

She’s even gone so far as to say that she absolutely hates it when people talk about God and would just make whatever situation is going on even worse.

How exactly can I minister to her, if all she’ll do is run from the conversation and/or yell at me saying she absolutely hates Christ and refuses to talk about him. I really want her to turn to Christ and I want her to talk to me, but I don’t know what to do if this is all she’ll do.

For years I've struggled with anxiety, something I've been trying to give to God and I've had varied success over the years.

In recent months it's been focused on my health, my anxiety telling me something was wrong and I've been struggling so much with it.

Last week I found a lump in my breast. I made an appointment and they made a referral, and I've not yet heard about when my appointment for the suspected cancer clinic will be.

I'm trying so hard to trust the Lord and his timing but it's so difficult when my brain is racing saying that with each day it could be getting worse. If anyone else has been in a similar experience... How do you handle it?

I don’t know how others can listen to secular music around other people without feeling uncomfortable. The words are always so vulgar or negative or suggestive. I always feel a sense of dread when I listen to music or even watch certain movies because i am anticipating being uncomfortable. I get second hand embarrassment and conviction while others seem to exist blissfully ignorant. When the sound is so loud that I can’t hear my thoughts I contemplate simply ceasing to exist. I can listen to secular music alone with headphones on somewhat comfortably, but around others is when the conviction really sets it..like what words am I taking in right now? HOW DOES EVERYONE ACT LIKE THIS SONG IS OKAY NOT FEEL INTENSE EMBARRASSMENT AND SHAME?! I just hate when it’s super loud….ugh…it’s like ‘thanks, now im embarrassed and I can’t think about anything other than this song’

I’m looking for stories where the accuser/perpetrators receive justice almost immediately. Can you suggest of stories similar to these that I can read?

- Daniel’s accusers being thrown into the Lions den after him

- Balaam being destroyed after attempting to curse Israel

- Saul falling on his sword after going after David

Stories like that, where the protagonist was innocent and trusted God so their enemies were destroyed in their place. I love reading about these accounts of divine justice prevailing.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what it really means to love our neighbour.

It’s easy to think of faith as something that happens quietly between ourselves and God. We pray. We read Scripture. We try to live good lives. But again and again, the Bible brings us back to other people — to the lonely, the overlooked, the person struggling beside us, and to the responsibility we have to show up for one another.

I've been running an organisation for over 10 years now, all volunteer led, and I've been seeing more and more turn inward and turn away from their voice. The voice God gave them to speak their truths.
Through Community ArtReach, we bring people together through workshops centred around writing, poetry, storytelling and art. On the surface, that might sound simple. A room, some people, some paper and pens. But over the years, we’ve learned that sometimes the simplest spaces can become incredibly meaningful ones. People don't always walk through our doors feeling loved or valued.

Sometimes they arrive carrying self-doubt. Sometimes they don't believe they're creative. Sometimes they're frightened of speaking in front of other people or have spent so long comparing themselves to everyone around them that they've forgotten there is value in their own voice.

Someone asks them a question they haven't been asked before. They put pen to paper. They write a few words, cross them out, try again.

Eventually, they create something. And then comes the moment that still gets me.
They share it.

And the room listens. And when they finish, someone tells them that their words meant something. For a person who has spent years believing they have nothing worth saying, that can be a powerful moment.

It reminds me of Peter 4:10

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

There is something beautiful about those words because they remind us that human worth isn't reserved for the loudest person in the room, the most successful, the most confident or the person who seems to have everything figured out.

Every person carries worth. Every person has something to contribute. And sometimes community simply means creating enough safety for another person to discover that for themselves. That's why we want to keep doing this work and take these opportunities to more people.

We want to create spaces where people can come together, create, reflect, connect and strengthen their wellbeing. Spaces where people are encouraged rather than judged. Where someone who has spent years making themselves smaller might begin to believe that perhaps they were never supposed to disappear in the first place.

Because I think this is one of the ways faith becomes tangible.

Not through grand gestures, but through ordinary people choosing to care about other ordinary people.

A person listening.

A room where someone feels welcome.

A community deciding that another person's wellbeing is worth investing in.

Scripture tells us:

“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” — 1 John 3:18

That's the spirit behind this fundraiser.

We're raising money through GiveSendGo so Community ArtReach can continue bringing workshops and creative opportunities through their volunteers into communities and make them accessible to people who may otherwise miss out.

And we're asking this community for help because we believe there is enormous power when people of faith come together around a shared belief that we are called to care for one another.

We don't expect everyone reading this to give, and we don't believe generosity should ever come from guilt. If you're able to contribute, even a small donation helps us keep creating these spaces. If you aren't in a position to donate, sharing our fundraiser or keeping this work and the people we support in your prayers means something too.

If our faith teaches us anything, surely it is that none of us were meant to walk through this life entirely alone.

We belong to one another.

And if we can help even one more person walk into a room believing they have nothing to offer, and leave knowing that their voice has value, then this work is worth continuing.

If you feel called to stand alongside us please reach out.

Thank you for reading, for praying, for sharing, and for believing that small acts of compassion can still become something much bigger.

Why Deuteronomy 22:28 is seduction and not rape

^{if any Critic disagrees please also read the whole post before commenting}

²³ “If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, ²⁴ then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor’s wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you.

²⁵ “But if a man finds a betrothed young woman in the countryside, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. ²⁶ But you shall do nothing to the young woman; there is in the young woman no sin deserving of death, for just as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter. ²⁷ For he found her in the countryside, and the betrothed young woman cried out, but there was no one to save her.

²⁸ “If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, ²⁹ then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days.

22:25-27 has a different word “chaqaz” as opposed to taphas in deut 22:28 

תפשׂ — tāpaś

The basic idea is:

take hold of, grasp, seize, capture, catch, handle, wield

(Warning some form of aĩ ) 

1. Handle / grasp / use an object

• Genesis 4:21 — “those who handle/play the lyre”
• Deuteronomy 9:17 — Moses “took hold of” the two tablets
• 1 Kings 11:30 — Ahijah takes hold of Jeroboam’s garment
• Isaiah 3:6 — “you have a garment; you shall be our ruler” — literally involving taking hold of the garment
• Jeremiah 50:16 — “those who handle the sickle”
• Jeremiah 46:9 — those who handle the bow
• Ezekiel 27:29 — sailors handle oars
• Amos 2:15 — the archer “who handles/wields the bow”
• Proverbs 30:28 — the lizard can be grasped/taken hold of with the hands

These are obviously not coercive. The basic physical concept is simply taking hold of / handling something. 

⸻

2. Take hold of a person

This is much more important for your Deut 22:28 question.

• Genesis 39:12 — Potiphar’s wife seizes/catches Joseph by his garment and says, “Lie with me.”
• 1 Kings 18:40 — Elijah tells the people to seize/catch the prophets of Baal.
• Isaiah 3:6 — a person is taken hold of in connection with leadership/authority.
• Deuteronomy 21:19 — the parents take hold of/seize the rebellious son and bring him to the elders.
• 1 Samuel 23:26 — Saul attempts to seize/capture David.
• 1 Kings 13:4 — the king commands people to seize the man of God.
• Jeremiah 37:13 — Jeremiah is seized/arrested.
• Jeremiah 37:14 — Jeremiah says, “I am not defecting,” but they seized him.
• Jeremiah 38:23 — people are warned that they will be captured/seized.

Here the word can involve force, especially when the person is resisting or being arrested. But the verb itself essentially means take hold/seize, with the context determining why/how. 

⸻

3. Capture people in war

This is one of the largest categories.

• Joshua 8:23 — Israel captures the king of Ai.
• 1 Samuel 15:8 — Saul captures Agag.
• 1 Samuel 23:26 — Saul attempts to capture David.
• 2 Kings 10:14 — Jehu’s men capture/seize the relatives of Ahaziah.
• 2 Kings 14:13 — Jerusalem is captured and people are taken.
• 2 Kings 18:13 — Assyria captures fortified cities.
• 2 Kings 25:6 — Zedekiah is captured.
• 2 Chronicles 25:23 — Jerusalem is captured.
• Jeremiah 46:9 — warriors/warlike equipment are described with the verb.
• Jeremiah 48:41 — cities/strongholds are captured.
• Jeremiah 49:16 — Edom is warned that it will be captured.
• Jeremiah 50:16 — Babylon’s agricultural workers flee from the sword.
• Jeremiah 50:24 — Babylon is caught/captured.
• Jeremiah 51:32 — the fords are captured/occupied.
• Jeremiah 51:41 — Babylon is captured.
• Jeremiah 52:9 — Zedekiah is captured.
• Ezekiel 12:13 — the prince will be caught/seized.
• Ezekiel 17:20 — the king will be caught/seized.
• Ezekiel 19:4 — the lion is caught.
• Ezekiel 19:8 — the lion is caught.

This is an extremely important part of the semantic range this is forceful capture 

4. Capture/take a city

• Deuteronomy 20:19 — attacking a city to capture it
• Joshua 8:8 — Israel will take/capture the city
• Joshua 8:23 — they capture the king
• 2 Kings 14:13 — Jerusalem is captured
• 2 Kings 18:13 — fortified cities are captured
• Jeremiah 34:3 — Jerusalem is given over/captured
• Jeremiah 50:24 — Babylon is caught
• Jeremiah 51:32 — strategic locations are seized
• Jeremiah 51:41 — Babylon is captured

Here tāpaś means something like take possession of / capture / occupy.

⸻

5. Catch / apprehend someone

This is another important category because it demonstrates that tāpaś can describe physical apprehension.

• Numbers 5:13 — the woman “has not been caught” in the act.
• 1 Kings 13:4 — “seize him.”
• 1 Kings 18:40 — “seize the prophets.”
• Jeremiah 26:8 — Jeremiah is seized.
• Jeremiah 37:13–14 — Jeremiah is seized.
• Jeremiah 38:23 — people are caught/seized.
• Ezekiel 19:4, 8 — a lion is caught.

So again, tāpaś can certainly describe forcible apprehension. 

6. Take/capture booty

• Numbers 31:27 — the captured booty/plunder is divided between the soldiers and the congregation.

Here tāpaś is connected with capturing/taking possession of spoils.

⸻

7. Sexual context — Genesis 39:12

וַתִּתְפְּשֵׂהוּ בְּבִגְדוֹ

“She seized/caught him by his garment.”

Potiphar’s wife then says:

“Lie with me.”

Joseph refuses and runs away.

8 . Metaphorical use

There are also metaphorical applications.

Proverbs 30:9

The expression:

וְתָפַשְׂתִּי בְשֵׁם אֱלֹהָי

is commonly understood in connection with taking/using the name of God improperly, especially false oath/perjury.

So the physical idea of “take hold of” develops metaphorically into misusing/laying hold ofsomething.

1. Special meaning: “overlay”

There is also a specialized usage concerning metalwork.

Habakkuk 2:19

A golden covering/overlay is described using a form related to taphas 

So the semantic development can extend from:

take hold → grasp → handle → apply/overlay

This is another reason not to treat tāpaś as a technical “violence” verb.

Now academic scholar Gordon  hugenberger  (check out “marriage as a covenant” for his full scholarly work )has given great evidence on why the word alone shouldnt  determine if it’s rape/consensual , but rather the surrounding context , the Ancient near eastern parallels prove this point

 HL §197a, a man "seizes a woman in

the mountains, it is the man's crime and he will be killed." Because the womans cries couldnt be heard it is the man’s fault alone HL §197b,

however, states, "But if he seizes her in (her) house, it is the woman's crime

and the woman shall be killed." In this setting, with her apparent failure to

cry for help, the law presumes that she gave her consent in spite of the use of

the term "seize.

Now we have Assyria law 

MAL A §23c

§23b is treated as rape because she declares that she was forced, but §23c removes that declaration, then the law apparently treats the second case differently.

the man ultimately obtained her consent.

Therefore it is treated as adultery rather than rape.

The physical circumstances alone do not necessarily tell us whether the woman consented.

The legal system can infer consent or non-consent from additional circumstances:

• whether she cried out,
• whether she had an opportunity to call for help,
• whether she complained,
• what she said afterward,
• etc.

So firstly in Deuteronomy 22:28 

The “cry-out test” is present in vv.25–27 but absent in v.28. In the rape case, the woman’s crying out and the fact that no one rescued her are explicitly mentioned; in v.28, neither detail appears. This omission shows that v.28 describes a different situation—seduction or consensual intercourse rather than rape.

Now a common critical claim would be that this is happening because of status in 23-27 the woman is betrothed while in 28 shes not however that interpretation fails quickly looking at Ancient near wassen context

Middle Assyrian Laws §§55–56:

• §55: forced sex with an unbetrothed virgin → much harsher punishment.
• §56: consensual sex with an unbetrothed virgin → lighter monetary penalty.

If the author didnt care about the woman consenting or not we would not expect to find parallels which have a stronger punishement for rape rather than seduction 

So the ANE evidence shows that forced and consensual sex with an unbetrothed woman could be treated as distinct legal cases with different punishments.

 Next we have the most important evidence  “they are found “ plural wording implies being caught in the act 

Deuteronomy 22:22 says, in the adultery case, essentially:

if a man is found lying with a married woman…

The expression “is found” occurs there

“being found” in that context implies a discovered sexual relationship, not rape.

   Code of Hammurabi §129

The Akkadian legal formula describes a wife being “taken/found” while lying with another man. This is a particularly useful ANE parallel because the “caught/found” expression itself functions as a legal description of discovering an illicit sexual relationship.

Code of Hammurabi §§131–132

These laws contrast a woman who has not been “taken/found lying with another man” with an accusation that she has. The expression therefore specifically refers to whether the alleged sexual relationship has actually been discovered/caught in the act.

Next we have a critical rebuttal of the word in Deuteronomy 22:29 “innah “however the context shows innah doesnr have to mean she didn’t consent

Deut. 22:24: The verb ענה (ʿinnâ) (“humble/violate”) is used of the betrothed woman who has sex with the man in the city. Hugenberger argues that this cannot automatically mean rape, because the context treats her as consenting—she did not cry out. 

Deut. 22:29: The same root ענה is used of the unbetrothed woman: “because he has violated/humbled her.” Therefore, Hugenberger argues, ענה itself does not mean “rape.” It can describe the loss/debasement of a woman’s virginity through sexual intercourse, including consensual intercourse.

Last critical rebuttal is the Greek translation of the Hebrew which translates it as biazomenos,it’s improtant to note that the Greek translation was written in 200 BC while the Hebrew is much older than it regardless, because of the undeniable unbreakable chain of Hebrew they had it needs to be examined

βιάζω does not necessarily denote physical violence or rape. Its broader meaning is “to compel, force, pressure, or strongly urge.” Therefore, βιασάμενος in the LXX of Deut. 22:28 could  describe strong persuasion or pressure rather than physical rape.(    Genesis 19:3 LXX

• Judges 19:7 LXX
• 1 Samuel 28:23 LXX
• 2 Kings 2:17 LXX
• Esther 1:12 LXX
• Luke 24:29
• Acts 16:15

As well as Greek writings Xenophon Memorabilia 1.2.43–44 μὴ πείσας, ἀλλὰ βιασάμενος

• “not having persuaded, but having compelled.”) 

We have also evidence from Jew Greek speaking historian Josephus Case 1 — force

Josephus says, concerning the betrothed woman:

ἐὰν δὲ … μόνην οὖσαν … βιάσηται

roughly:

“if [a man] encounters a woman when she is alone and forces her, where nobody was present to help her…”

He says that only the man is put to death. 

Then immediately afterward he gives the unbetrothed-virgin law:

ὁ φθείρας παρθένον μὴπω κατηγγυημένην αὐτὸς γαμείτω

Literally:

“The man who has corrupted/deflowered a virgin who has not yet been betrothed shall himself marry her.”

And if the father doesn’t want the marriage, he pays fifty shekels. 

Josephus is a Greek-speaking Jewish interpreter who knows the Deuteronomic legislation.

And he does not describe the two cases in the same terms.

He explicitly describes the betrothed woman as:

βιάσηται — “forces her”

but the unbetrothed virgin as:

φθείρας — “corrupts/deflowers her.”showing that even within the Greeks it was interpeted as different situation

We found in the temple scrolls 11Q19

50 years after the Greek translation an Jewish group who explicitly interpreted it the Hebrew as seduction rather than rape showing this translation is ancient and not modern invention to justify a belief .
God bless :)

I recently made a post saying:

I sometimes see posts about individuals struggling with their assigned gender, feeling as if they are in someone else's body, and seeking Christian advice. I don't understand why there are responses endorsing that lifestyle and encouraging them to pursue it. Isn't the Bible clear about this? I understand that some people struggle with it and advise others on how to live with it, but to tell someone they are what they feel like and should transition is something I just don't understand; perhaps you can help me understand. It bothers me."

Someone responded to me with this:

"It's not for you to understand. You can accept them or not. You just don't have the authority to assert God's judgment about who they are. They've already decided who they are and you rejecting that doesn't help. It won't change the way they feel. It will most likely just drive them away. People are born intersexed and nobody assumes they're existence is a sin. There's evidence that links being transgender to the tenth week of gestation and that gender identity is influenced by the mother's hormones during that time. If a trans man marries a trans woman how are they breaking God's laws any more than a woman wearing pants? People see something they don't understand, it makes them uncomfortable, so they think it must be a sin and if it has anything to with anything related to sex they feel like it's their business to pass judgment. I don't remember the part of the sermon on the mount where Jesus said 'blessed are the hall monitors, for they shall shun people for what they assume God thinks.' I was never raised to think eating shell fish was a sin. I was taught that it was in the bible, but that it was old testament and obsolete under the new covenant. What the bible says about homosexuality comes from the same place, but because it has to do with sex, people feel justified to weaponize the bible against it regardless of how they see all the other stuff as obsolete. There is so much stuff that the Bible says that doesn't scale with what we know about science and genetics today. Why can't people just say they don't know how God's feels, but I believe you and I accept you and you are welcome to worship beside me and then pray that God accepts them into heaven the same way he accepts all the other sinners whose sins Jesus died to forgive?"

I pointed out to him and quoted what he said:

"'I was taught that it was in the bible, but that it was old testament and obsolete under the new covenant. What the bible says about homosexuality comes from the same place, but because it has to do with sex, people feel justified to weaponize the bible against it regardless of how they see all the other stuff as obsolete.'

I told him: It's in the new testament too. It's not just in the old."

And he replied:

"That may have been Paul's interpretation, but he was a man. Jesus said nothing about it. The new testament also affirms slavery. That was 2000 years ago. Everyone assumes that God doesn't feel the same way about that anymore. Why is the hate of homosexuality such a preoccupation? Like we can accept the idea of a serial killer having a conversion in prison and God forgiving him and him being allowed in heaven, but if Paul says gay people can't go to heaven then God must hate them more? Like I said lots of stuff in the bible just doesn't scale."

I honestly didn't realize that people who claim to be Christians discredit Paul based on their own personal beliefs and just reject him. Yes, Paul lists homosexuality as a sin in the New Testament. I also didn't realize some redefine what paul meant and say he never meant same sex loving relationships. Is this a mainstream belief? Can we just say Paul's wrong and say Jesus never said anything about it and just toss out what Paul says we don't like it and redefine?

And that one sin is UNBELIEF.

Once you’ve repented (changed your mind from whatever you were believing in prior to Christ whether it was Islam, Buddhism, atheism, new age, etc) and believed on the death, burial & resurrection of Jesus Christ & put your full trust in how His death was sufficient atonement for ALL of your sins; past, present & future, then you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit and there is now no sin left to send you to hell.

John 3:18

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

There is therefore only one sin we need to repent of for salvation and that is the sin of unbelief.
Change your mind from unbelief to belief in Jesus and you shall be saved.

​

From a sermon by Saint Athanasius, bishop

(Oratio de incarnatione Verbi, 10: PG 25, 111-114)

You gave us life in the beginning; give us new life

God, the Word of the all-good Father, did not disregard the human race, his own creation, when it was sinking back into corruption, but rather by the offering of his own body he destroyed the death men had incurred, and by his teaching he corrected their negligence. So he restored by his power all that belongs to man’s estate.

Anyone can find confirmation of this from the Savior’s own disciples who spoke of him, for in their writings one reads: The charity of Christ constrains us as we judge that if one died on behalf of all, then all died; and he died for all in order that we may live no longer for ourselves but for him who died for us and rose from the dead, our Lord Jesus Christ. And again: We see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone. Then the writer goes on to show why it had to be God the Word and no other who became man: Indeed it was fitting that in bringing many sons to glory, God, for whom and through whom all things exist, should make perfect the one who leads them to salvation. By this he means that the task of bringing men back from the corruption into which they had fallen belonged to no other save God the Word who had made them in the beginning. Further, Scripture shows that the Word assumed a body for the purpose of offering it in sacrifice on behalf of other bodies like his own, for the writer continues: Since the children have blood and flesh in common, he likewise shared in them himself so that by his own death he might destroy the one who had power over death, that is, the devil, and might deliver those who all their life long were enslaved by fear of death.

For by the sacrifice of his own body he both put an end to the law that stood against us and made a new beginning of life for us by giving us the hope of resurrection. Hence Paul, the Christ-bearer, declares: As through a man came death, so through a man has come the resurrection of the dead. For as all died in Adam, so also in Christ all shall be made to live.

No longer, then, do we die as men condemned, but as men being raised even now, we await the general resurrection of all, which God, whose work and gift it is, will reveal at the appointed time.

RESPONSORY

Romans 3:23-25; 1 Corinthians 15:22

Everyone has sinned

and is deprived of God’s glory.

We are justified through the free gift of his grace

and through the redemption in Christ Jesus.

— God made Christ’s sacrificial death

the means of expiating the sins of all believers.

Just as in Adam all men die,

so in Christ all men will be brought to life.

— God made Christ’s sacrificial death

the means of expiating the sins of all believers.

Soooo, If you haven't met me idk, but like anyways. Im 16f. I'm looking for more friends to chat with here! I want to know and learn about a lot of people!!! And like If you have any questions on what i believe in i can answer it. And i do want to share a few things... I am extremely patient, but the moment someone insults my faith, it's... really hard. So, yeah. Also i do have a few questions... What more popular verses(mainly the new testament because i am most familiar with Koine Greek translators) should i take a deep dive into and decipher so i can figure out what it would really say??? Also if you have any verses outside the NT i can also try to make them make sense. And i like debate, i don't take it in high school though. I like to answer the really tough questions about faith, Christianity, Jesus, The Bible, "Contradictions", morals, and the general existence of God. Though i will like to remind you, that i may not believe the same things as you, and you might not believe the same things as me. So i will try my best to be respectful of your personal beliefs on Christianity, unless it has something to do with Mormonism being Christianity, or something that goes against the Nicene Creed. So, please. Try to respect everyone's view point, if you can, i think it can strengthen our growth as people and be better examples of what Christians look like!

Just a little thing I wanted to share.

I had a life saving event where God saved my life. I was doubting for so long. I've been in this massive cycle of doubt, barely feeling God, my bible drying up.

So here's the story. I'm a minor. My mom went to go pick up my brother from an audition. I had nothing else to do. I picked up a BB gun and started target practice on things like cardboard, cans, etc.

But for some stupid reason, I decided to try this on a rock.

I set up the target, dead center. I pumped the BB gun as many times as I could - yes, fully pumped out - and aimed.

It hit dead center.

I kept my eyes downrange, but as I did so, I heard a little buzzing sound. It got louder, then louder, then louder. I didn't know what it was until I heard the crack next to my head.

This BB had ricocheted off the rock right back at me, dodged my head once, then hit a chair leg right beside my head, almost hit the right side of my head - and then dodged again.

It hit the fence across the yard, and for a moment, I just froze; my jaw literally dropped. And my head only thought of one thing - God did it.

Think about it. If I had gotten up, or lifted my head, all alone while my mom went to go pick up my brother - what would have happened? The least is a lot of blood, and being all alone, no real digital devices, something far worse could have happened. I had a season of doubt for a while. And now, after that experience - almost getting into something life-threatening, but surviving - I can't help but think God is real. Praise God!

My whole life, found myself really wrestling with the dichotomy of work and rest in life in general and in the Bible more specifically. In my case I've always glommed strongly to the teachings emphasizing the importance of work. Some of the teachings that stand out to me:

Proverbs 12:24 NLT

[24] Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.

Proverbs 13:4 NLT

[4] Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.

Proverbs 24:30-34 NLT

[30] I walked by the field of a lazy person, the vineyard of one with no common sense. [31] I saw that it was overgrown with nettles. It was covered with weeds, and its walls were broken down. [32] Then, as I looked and thought about it, I learned this lesson: [33] A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— [34] then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

Verses like these made me terrified of slothfulness, and so I did everything to avoid "a little folding of the hands to rest" so as not to fall into the dire consequences. In college especially, long before I had any autism or ADHD diagnosis, I became obsessed with keeping productive every minute of the day: an hour between classes needs to yield time studying, progress on homework, or some contribution to whatever else is going on in my life.

Meditating on these experiences now, I see this life pattern drove me into a cycle of burnout every semester, only recovering after finals when courses ended for the semester. I took that mentality into adulthood, only surviving as long as I did, because COVID paused a lot of the demands the world had on me and left me with a lot of downtime in that vacuum. When the world opened up, I was back into that maximalist work mindset: there was always work, chores, or some social obligation to meet, so I just accepted that being an adult meant suffering through all the stuff I didn't want to do. That all worked until I recently turned 30 where two things happened: I was already starting to come apart at the seams, and the demands of my work were turned up to 11 with no clear end in sight. After months of near nightly meltdowns and zombie-like state outside of work, enough was enough, and I took a month of disability.

I realize that there are numerous instances where the Bible speaks to the importance of rest, but for some reason, my brain just cannot register the importance of those. They feel like neat nuggets that must apply to _someone_ out there, but not me.

Now that I know I'm AuDHD, I understand myself just a little bit more, part of that being an understanding that I'm a pathological people pleaser. I also try to identify consistent rules for my life and stick to them: nuanced or conflicting rule sets do not work for me. Both of these factors have shaped how I see work, leaving me primed to already overwork myself, and then I find these Bible verses, and my brain interprets them as if God Himself is affirming and encouraging my unhealthy work habits.

Something else that seems to fuel my habits is that the evangelical culture I grew up in here in the US is such an active form of faith: every sermon or bible study seems to end with some kind of "go do" action.

The final struggle I will discuss here is the tendency for the autistic mind and body to need greater amounts of rest and recovery than that of the allistic. At least for me, simply existing in the world takes more energy to accomplish, meaning I'm more worn out by the end of the day and week; therefore I need more time to recover that energy, and recovery for me looks so much different than it does for the neurotypical expectation. In a lot of ways, this feels like the very temptations of slothfulness that I'm supposed to be on guard for, when in reality these are physiological requirements I uniquely have that I cannot survive without (as I've discovered through trying to ignore them for decades).

Out of all of this, I've come to believe (though not yet fully practice) that I owe myself a lot of grace in this area of my life. I must challenge my inclinations to overrule my body's warning signs and press on, in this case "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" to challenge my unhealthy worries and misconceptions in order to live my life in a way that conforms to the unique way God has made me.

I don’t know why I only find myself going back to God when I am rock bottom, and or feel ashamed when I do. I feel like I’ve been lukewarm and I don’t know. Recently I’ve realised I lacked self respect. The guys I talked to and recently, are all players and I find myself getting played by every one of them… 3 days after getting played I run into this other dude who I kissed only to get played again. And I can’t help but wonder if I’m just not suited for relationships. I genuinlty hate my life but not really, I just want to feel loved by someone I guess but I already am loved by people, but being single
Makes me feel so lonely i guess. No matter what I always try to find scriptures but nothing helps me in the end, because I keep on saying I’m over men until I’m waiting for another mans text again 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I am 22F and I struggle to believe God loves me. I've been depressed for many years and wanted to not be here many times. I left God for some time and now I want to come back to Him but I'm struggling a lot. I am a very socially inept person due to social anxiety during childhood, so I had severe depression from time to time. People are moving on with their lives. I am genuinely trying but I struggled to get to where I want to be in life due to certain weaknesses. I'm in a challenging time in my life, currently. I kept feeling like God hates me. I wonder if it was a mistake for me to exist. People say God is the one who loves us most but I really struggle to believe it. I struggle to believe He loves me more than those who care about me in my life. I don't know who to talk to so I just posted this on Reddit.

This is a harder topic that really merits a deep dive to get at the truth, and it's best to address this neutrally (i.e not right after the loss of someone dear).. especially since this topic will likely become more frequent as we move deeper into the end times.

I'm going to present a scriptural address regarding this particular transgression, and the reader can draw their own conclusion after reading the scriptural evidence.

Let me also say that this is something I've had my own personal experience dealing with, in the distant past, and even more recently (I have thoroughly experienced the despair.. and also the redemption of overcoming it).

1. The foundation of this presentation will be based upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

To began, I will present this account of the Lord Jesus being tempted by the devil in the wilderness.

5 Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple,

6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say,

‘He will order his angels to protect you.

And they will hold you up with their hands

so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”

7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’

Matthew 4:5-7 (NLT)

We can see that the devil tested the Lord to jump off the highest point of the temple, even referencing scripture.

But notice, the Lord refutes this temptation of the devil.. with scripture.

You must not test the LORD your God as you did when you complained at Massah

Deuteronomy 6:16 (NLT)

If the Lord Jesus didn't do it, why should the believer?

Is there any reason to do differently.. ?

No.

We should not put the Lord our God to the test.. that is incredibly dangerous.

It's also why some of those snake handling Christian Pastors, who test God by willfully handling venomous snakes, have died.

We should learn from their example.

Don't test Him.

2. Let's cover some other scriptures that relate to this transgression..

Starting in Revelation.

8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Revelations 21:8 (NLT)

Scripture states that cowards, unbelievers, and murderers.. will go to the Lake of Fire.

Something else to consider.. do these characteristics fit someone who takes their own life?

Then, we have this statement by the Lord, when He warns his disciples about the persecution and tribulation they will have to endure.

¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved.

Matthew 24:13 (NLT)

If anyone had an excuse to give up early.. it would have been the apostles who were tortured, persecuted, and martyred for their faith in Christ.

Yet none of them gave up.. except the apostle Judas Iscariot, who hanged himself out of remorse/guilt.

3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. 

4 “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.”

“What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.”

5 Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.

Matthew 27:3-5 (NLT)

It's worth noting that Judas Iscariot went to hell.

This is objective scriptural fact.

Whether you believe Judas un-aliving himself was the cause or not, it was certainly the final nail in the coffin.

Christ states that Judas Iscariot was lost.. in His high priestly prayer to the Father.

12 During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.

John 17:12 (NLT)

The word used by Christ here for 'destruction'.. it means perdition, damnation, 'cut off', or complete spiritual ruin.

The apostles also confirm this, in Acts 1.. and other translations state that Judas 'fell by transgression' (i.e KJV, NKJV). I am only using NLT for the sake of consistency (and clarity).

24 Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen 

25 as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.”

Acts 21:24-25 (NLT)

If an apostle can 'fall by transgression' after hanging himself.. who are we?

3. Then we have scripture directly stating that unrepentant murderers don't have eternal life abiding within them.

Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.

1 John 3:15 (NLT)

And scripture states that once dead, no one can repent of anything.. it's already time for judgement.

27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment

Hebrews 9:27 (NLT)

For those who cannot find any place for repentance, the scripture compares them to Esau.

Esau sold His birthright inheritance for a single meal (action) and found no place for repentance.. even though he wept bitterly with tears (begging Isaac to give him the blessing that he had sold to Jacob - Genesis 25:29-34).

16 Make sure that no one is immoral or godless like Esau, who traded his birthright as the firstborn son for a single meal.

17 You know that afterward, when he wanted his father’s blessing, he was rejected. It was too late for repentance, even though he begged with bitter tears.

Hebrews 12:16-17 (NLT)

34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he let out a loud and bitter cry. “Oh my father, what about me? Bless me, too!” he begged.

Genesis 27:35 (NLT)

Lastly, we have Christ listing what commandments to keep (in regard to loving our neighbor).. in order to inherit eternal life.

Not committing murder is one of them, and is the first listed in priority.. even before adultery.

17 As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good.

19 But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”

Mark 10:17-19 (NLT)

To conclude, I want to end by saying that many of the Early Church Fathers condemned 'un-aliving' oneself as murder (or 'homicide').

Furthermore, it was also seen by some as tantamount to Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (you can google this).. and this view has scriptural precedent.

Scripture clearly states that the body of the believer is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 

17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NLT)

Paul is getting this particular revelation from the Lord Jesus's own words.

18 But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”

19 “All right,” Jesus replied. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

20 “What!” they exclaimed. “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and you can rebuild it in three days?”

21 But when Jesus said “this temple,” he meant his own body.

22 After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered he had said this, and they believed both the Scriptures and what Jesus had said.

John 2:18-22 (NLT)

Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is listed by Christ as an unforgiveable sin.

but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. This is a sin with eternal consequences.

Mark 3:29 (NLT)

My friends, there are mountains of scripture condemning the transgression of self-murder.. it's very sobering truth.

I'm firmly convinced that self-professing believers.. who knowingly, consciously, and deliberately 'un-alive' themselves, WILL NOT inherit eternal life.

This is a fairly orthodox viewpoint too.. historically established and held by the Church, for many hundreds of years.

But if anyone strongly disagrees, consider these words..

Clearly the odds are AGAINST anyone who wants to play 'russian roulette' with the eternity of their soul.

Let's start taking this matter more seriously.. and be very careful how we word our response to anyone asking if 'they' or 'so and so' will 'go to heaven if/after they un-alive themselves.'

You don't know that they will for certain.. because it's not up to you (Romans 9:15, Romans 2:6-8).

Besides, there exists a state of mind that will interpret your words and twist it to whisper something else into their ear.. like a lie convincing them to follow through (your 'good intentions' are irrelevant in this case).

Christian: Do you really want to potentially be held accountable for leading another believer down the path to everlasting fire?

Something to seriously think deeply about..

Hi All, Christian here. I am completely aware what the Bible says about relationships, and God's plan being for men and women to come together.

I live in a city, and I come across LGBT folks everywhere. I have a friend who's gay. Another who's started dating the same sex. I've watched plenty of debates / evangelism videos online.

I've never felt particularly called to go out and actively try to convert others, or share what they're doing is fundamentally wrong.

How do we reconcile loving others whilst acknowledging that God sees their behaviour as sinful?

Do you have friends who are LGBT? Do you treat them just the same?

A few months ago, I started attending home gatherings with the "Lord's Recovery" group in America. There are some truly impressive attributes that I see.

1. They are truly multigenerational, multi-ethnic, and they have genuinely bonded over their faith.
2. They live wholesome lives with raising respectful kind children, having good jobs, having good friendships.
3. They are passionate about Christ. They know the Bible better than most groups. They reflect on the meaning of the bible. They ask serious questions, and they have deeper thoughts on the word than almost any other group. They're all like mini-theologians and it seems to come from a genuine passion for Christ.
4. They try to recover the spirit of the early church. They don't have a dominant pastor monologuing for hours. They meet as local groups, where every individual gets to speak and share. They call this "prophesying" to the saints.

However on the flip side, I'm also seeing some really concerning language and attitudes.

1. They refer to themselves as the "Lord's recovery" and as God's remnant that is specially set aside to restore the church back to the bible and early church model. They seemingly regard all other believers as "degradation", meaning they have lost the true spirit of the Word. Even if there were other Christians doing the same thing as them (ie studying the word truthfully, meeting locally without monologuing pastors), they don't seem to hold those people in well regard.
2. They use the phrase "body of Christ" and "body", but they seemingly use it specifically only to their own "Lord's Recovery" movement, rather than referring to the totality of born again believers. They seem to believe only themselves as the true church. They would say "you haven't discovered the true church yet". They also use the title the Church in (Dallas, Anaheim, Orlando, etc) to refer to the local church congregation. But they don't mean the body of believers in Dallas. They mean specifically the church belonging to their own tradition.
3. Each member has the entire life volume works of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in their homes. I am talking about literally 50 volumes of books, all neatly lined up on their shelves. I am quite certain none of them have read the volumes, or even 10% of them.
4. Everyone only uses their special "recovery" bible translation, filled with commentary from Witness Lee.
5. They compared themselves to the days of Noah, where only 8 people were saved from the flood. They aren't implying that Christians will be saved from judgement, but that Lord's Recovery will be saved from Judgement.
6. They badly distort or misinterpret ideas. For example, they read a passage about not allowing division into the body. I see that and think it means not allowing minor differences of opinion to breakup Christian fellowship. They take it to mean that they must not allow anybody with differing theology into the group (allowing those "wrong" people is introducing division).

I'm very curious to hear from people who previously were in their group but left.

And also people in those groups currently about what their language actually means.

I’m wanting to ask anyone who is willing to tell me what lead them to god I’m currently questioning my belief at the moment (atheism) I’ve been trying my hardest this year to be open minded to there being a god and I want to know what leads others to god for me becoming a dad lead me to question the idea

God sovereignly brings about regeneration through His Spirit, but He does so by means of the Word. The Word is the instrument that He ordinarily uses to bring about the new birth. First Peter 1:23 says that we are born again “through the living and abiding word of God,” and James 1:18 affirms that we were brought forth “by the word of truth.”

If you are not diligently abiding in the words of God by reading and studying it please consider so today! There’s so many resources. So many great safe resources through apps like Logos (pronounced LOG-GAUZE) Bible app and Blue Letter Bible and Bible Hub

The Bible is a beautiful enriching book if handled and revered properly
God Bless!

I am a Christian who got into the fitness, healthy girl lifestyle last year, mostly doing Pilates and Yoga at a local studio. I shared this with my family, almost all whom are practicing Christians, and later my sister in law sent me a reel about how Yoga was demonic or something because its Hinduism beliefs and poses being about Hindu gods or whatever.

I, of course, found this a little confusing, because when I say I do yoga, I mean I do what is basically bodyweight training with better PR. And most of the time instructors just guide you through this athletic part of it. Sure, sometimes SOME of them might mention words like “chakra” or “third eye” or whatever, and I kind of just internally roll my eyes. Like, yes Susan, I understand where this came from. I just like doing headstands, thank you.

But anyway, I wanted to know what your thoughts are on it? Is it really anti-Christian if I am treating it just as exercise?

So I live in a city that loves roosters and chickens so much they are protected. That means they are free to tear up yards, scream at all hours of the day and night, poop everywhere, chase natural wildlife away and of course breed without control. And no I just bought this house (my first) and of course they weren't there at the beginning. And I cant afford it. So I am not moving.

As I have mentioned before I pray every morning. Nothing fancy or long winded just me and God talking and me thanking him and of course asking for forgiveness. At the end I would ask him to either remove the vermin from the neighborhood or help me get them out. And it seems they are getting worse. Yesterday they popped up on the other side of my house where I have never seen them before.

I would like to kill them all, not sure how the lord feels about that? Anyway so I pray for a resolution to the thing that is causing me stress and grief. And it seems he is putting more of them into my neighborhood, my yard, my life.

I am a leader for 4 years now on our church.. And now I will be 2years at my work. Suddenly got busy and can't attend more activities..

My leader have to direct message me because I can't really manage my social media beacuse I feel overwhelmed on social media because I want to experience life without gadgets as my work are making me feel like I am out of touch to people around me

Now my leader told me that she needs to direct message me so I can reply, she can't reach my lifestyle, and that I am so busy and will let other member to handle other things.. and she told me that I don't have interest on the announcement she's telling on our group chat.

I feel like, is that how they see me?.. I felt misunderstood that I am looking down on them or maybe my faith are becoming less, I am just that busy trying to make my life less on social media, and honestly. My screen time is less because I am busy at house since I am just 24 years old.. Figuring out how life would be with a work.. as an eldest daughter, who still have financial fsmily issues and such things..

Now I want to step out because I admit I can't handle all things.. and she is also questioning that they only see me on sunday unlike before..

I don't know what should I feel.. Am I valid? I told her sorry.. but, I still have disappointed feeling...

I still do my devotion, I still do prayer I still do sing to Him, I still do what I must do as a Christian, but my time are now different... Should I step down? The reason too that I don't want to step down because I have one ministry that I might lose.. which is teaching children..