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This post has been edited by zanness: Oct 17 2017, 11:48 PM

If you say you are a Pastor, then walk away from this.
Is this not also what Jesus asked His disciples to do so?
Matthew 10:14, "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet."

Do remember that the entire journey of a christian is to be more Christ-like.. which means acting like one too.

James 1:19,20 "Wherefore, my beloved brethen, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God".

Personally, i think you should answer lesser with your words but with God's word.
Because its not biblical when you dont keep your eyes upon God as the final destination of whatever you want to discuss.

hi MPIK,

great questions you have asked.
1) If you look at what the Bible says at 2 Timothy 3:16,
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
Basically, the entire Bible is written by more than 40 people over a period of 1500 years. Then back to your question, how do people write what they cant see or experience. I can only tell you its because God revealed to them. And then you might ask, how accurate it is? all this can be concluded by just one thing. How true is the Bible? the entire Bible is written by 40 over people from different era of time, different locations, and yet, are able to consistently write and talk about the same them, which is Jesus Christ.
So when it is said, God inspired men to write about Genesis, christians accept this by faith, by plain trust. Because the Bible says so. and the through personal experiences, we know the Bible is true and is the way God speaks with us.

2) Although it is not written as dinosaurs, but in the past (old testaments of the Bible), it is once written that Giants lived on Earth. In multiple places of the Bible, these Giants are recorded. Genesis 14:5-7, Genesis 14:13, Numbers 13:29, numbers 13:32, etc..
So it is true that even in the Bible, it is written about the existence of giant sizes.. But when you're talking about evolution, evidences of evolution are merely dotting it back to a singular source.. means humans are from the source of apes.. but what did the Bible say? Bible says that God is the creator of all things. Which is logical that evolution evidences should dot humans to apes. because after all, all are dotted back to the same ONE source. Means both, apes , humans, can be similar. Evolution theory in fact states that even other animals or creatures have similar dotted sources but due to the environmental conditions, separated their further formations. hence, if you see all creatures, we have the similar baby stage form. There is no way for us to know how Adam and Eve were created, and once again, this is also accepted by faith. When we're talking about carbon dating, i can only assume this from the Bible. There was a great flood. There is no saying on how this great flood affected the entire world's carbon dating. Carbon dating can also be affected by various other factors which may seem to speed up or slow down the readings.

Your Christian friend is half right lols.
Science has proven a lot that can't be done in the past but is possible now.. in a way, Science is merely something we do not understand and is defined until we understand it.

Now back to water turning into wine.. this is a miracle made by Jesus when He was in a wedding.
During Jesus time, He did a lot of miracles.. All this miracles we may not understand the significance of it..
but for Israelites, these miracles are signs that Jesus is the Son of God.. He did these miracles to also fulfill the prophecy of the Bible (old testament)
The Bible in a way is also like a history book because these incidents did take place in the past.

But more importantly if you ask me are not the miracles that Jesus did, it is the prophecies that the Bible said.
The Bible (old testament) Prophecies have been fulfilled by Jesus. some prophecies also came true after Jesus. Now there are a lot of prophecies in the old testament and new testament but these prophecies are about our future which even today we can see it is becoming very possible.. if the Bible is true, and speaks about what will happen to those who have sin in their life, then what can we do to pay for these sins..

Does it matter what you can be known as? Laity, pastor, or whatever. In the end of the day, we have our responsibility as Christians, as a candle on a lampstick.

James 4:11, "Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge."

Unless you are perfect by the law, then judge. But we all are sinners saved by grace. Who are we to judge but only by Jesus Christ and God's words.

James 5:19-20, "
Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him;Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins."

Isn't this what God has commanded us to do. to communicate and to do it with charity (love). I'm sure you know how Paul commanded the Corinthians to do it with love in Corinthians.. and how meaningless it will be without it.

This post has been edited by zanness: Oct 19 2017, 10:36 AM

I went to an independent baptist church... which very unlikely you've heard of before.. Bible Baptist Church

I beg to differ,
When God wrote on Genesis 6 days and got rested on the seventh, it literally meant so.
Most Lutherans would take this out of context and claim that it is an era but when you dig deeper in into the original language of the Genesis, and also cross reference it with new testaments and other verses in the Bible,
you will realize God meant 6 days.
Exodus 20:11
Hebrews 4:4
Exodus 31:17

and with reference to poetic writing, i believe God meant ALL SCRIPTURE in
2 Timothy 3:16 and not SOME scripture..
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"

I believe that when God wrote clearly certain locations, and certain places, He meant it so.
Revelation 22:19
" And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book"

Just because God's prophecies have yet to take place, we should not claim it will not.. Else, we contradict ourselves in faith, altering God's word to suit our human believes?

It is best we take God's word seriously... word by word..

We should give God glory and not undermine it..

This post has been edited by zanness: Oct 19 2017, 05:43 PM

You are right to say it has different forms of writing.
there are parables where in the 4 Gospels Jesus would use.
But as showed above, Bible states its days.

The Bible was written by men inspired by God. And hence, God used parables for our understanding. Comparisons for our applications.
So i think I'm lost with your claims of imposing human standards.
There are a lot that 'human standards' are unable to explain.

I think it may sound narrative when reading other versions of the Bible. But reading the KJV version will give you a different picture
and to be honest.. what is important, from the creation of Genesis, is related to a lot..
it is related to Jesus Christ. In fact, the whole Bible is.


This post has been edited by zanness: Oct 19 2017, 06:21 PM

Agreed.. there are numerous verses in the past where Jesus Christ is actually being revealed. Not just Issac's Sacrifice, you can see Moses and Aaron being bitten by the poisonous snake, you can also refer to Moses hitting the rock at the wilderness, and much more.. but taking each word of God is just a PART of interpreting God's word. And still, each word matters.

Looking back I think the sacrifice of Issac's focus was not how Issac carried the wood up but rather how God spared Issac for Lamb which was to symbolize Jesus.

thanks for explaining..
LOLS

Its good discussion
Because afterall I think the word of God should not be undermined of its strength

If you ask me, i personally think you love God but are at the same time trying to make sense of what the Bible has written.
You've got the gospel half right.. old earth new earth its just a timeline which we are going through. But i am puzzled. Does God surprise you when He says He can do it in 6 days ? lols..

(God has His ways, its whether we have faith in Him that He did it or not)
Isaiah 55:8-9," For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts"

(Believe as a little child, child-like faith is what we need to practice, not through logical human reasoning)
Matthew 18:2-4, "And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven."


Whats important is, yes you are right.. man has sin.. Sin separates us.. but Jesus Christ PAID for our sins through death, cleansed us through His blood, and overcome death for us through his resurrection.. this part is VERY important..

**(Why i stress this? James 2:19 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.")**
** Matthew 7:22,23 "Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will i profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity."

Its not merely believing there is one God.. Muslims do so too.. its very important to know and believe what the entire true gospel is about..

Hi Jurlique,
I can only tell you, that being a Christian, DOES NOT MEAN you are perfect. It does not mean you can't do this or can't do that. To begin with, you said you accepted Christ.
Good that you did.
But when you accepted Christ, what does it mean?
It basically means, you now have the Holy Spirit. It also means, someone is paying for your sins. So as a Christian, because we love God, we try to sin-less.
And its impossible, but we try. Even Apostle Paul sin.

Now, back to whether you can borrow money, or even use condoms, etc.. I think you're either going to wrong churches, or you are really getting the wrong sources..
My friend, whatever that your church, or other Christians say you can and cannot do, ask him/her to show you what the Bible says about it.
Money is the root of all evil i believe you are referring to
1 Timothy 6:10 ," For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows."

This verse tells loving money MORE than loving God, causing themselves a lot of sadness..
But can you invest?

Matthew 22:21,"They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Carsar's; and unto God the things that are God's"

You may invest, but while investing, the main question is your purpose of investing. To be rich? and why you want to be rich? to buy material stuffs?

Matthew 6:19-21," Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rush doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

SO BOTTOM LINE! TAKE HOME MESSAGE!

You accepted Christ. Good.
Do you love God?
You want to invest. Can (FYI, i know a lot of christians who invest, or are even businessmen)
Is it for your own glory or for God? (invest can be to fulfil basic necessities. God said not to LOVE money, but not asking you to not invest. In fact, Jesus gave a parable about a master giving money to his servants and asking them to grow the money. But in the end, the servant grew the money. The servant didnt love the money. He just wanted to serve his Master." read it up yourself Matthew 25:14-30

If you appreciate my help, find me. I can help you understand and walk through whatever questions you have together. PM me if you need my hp to contact me. Or if you need to find a good Bible preaching church.

Hahaha i think i did.
My bad.

Yea, Gospel is not about New or old Earth.
but its also important to get the Gospel right.. like i previously shared, its dangerous.. even the devils know God and tremble.
They too believe in Jesus as the son of God and His coming.

Matthew 8:29 ," And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?"

so its really important that the gospel is the right one.. and the faith is also true.

Don't worry.
Your question.. is it a sin to go for wealth.. I can only tell you that its not what God would have wanted you to do.. As previously clearly in the previous verses.. we are ask to stack up treasures in heaven, not on earth.
Then you might wonder, whats wrong with stacking up treasures on earth?
Okay, then i can only tell you, its not wrong, but its pointless and stupid.. because if you understand our future well enough, you will know that these treasures are pointless when we go to heaven.
Put it this way, lets say, you can control your dreams. Is it wrong to be very rich in your dreams? no. Is it wrong to work hard and fight hard to be rich in your dreams? of cos not. but then.. it will be pointless..
Christians are not biased towards rich people. I've known rich Christians too.
Like I said, it is not about the state of wealth thats important. Its the love for it.. and as i said too, i think the church that you are at may not be the best church for you to learn about God's word.

1 John 2:16,17 ,"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doet the will of God abideth for ever"

If you say you accepted Christ, did you truly accept Him because you knew you were a sinner and there was NO OTHER WAY you could save yourself except through Jesus Christ,
Through Him because He died for your sins, and He resurrected 3 days later to overcome death for us..

Or you 'accepted' Christ out of convenience.

Accepting Christ requires faith..

Matthew 19:21,22, "Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions"

The above tells about this young man who has so much love towards his money that he could not let it go for Jesus.

Whats the deal with being materialistic?

1 Corinthians 3:14,15,16, " If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"

1 Corinthains 10:31 , " Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God"

Like I previously mentioned, being materialistic in the end of the day is just fulfilling your own lusts. Lust of flesh, pride of life, lust of the eyes.
And where these lust are, is where your heart is.
Did not Jesus saved you from the state that you are?

If you are truly saved, IF YOU ARE, then even if you pursue riches in life, you are STILL SAVED. Because one that is saved can never be UN-saved.
But, the biggest question is, are you truly saved? and what do you believe in ?

James 2:20, "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

James is referring to people, that claim to have faith, but have no works to show. Which means, the very faith he himself claims to have, is in truth actually non existent. Because the Bible says, when you have faith, eventually you will have works.

WHAT IS REALLY WRONG WITH BEING RICH??? COME ON? I CANT BE RICH??

can...
King Solomon, the richest man ever to be in the history of mankind.. He had everything
If you read his books, Proverbs, Songs of Soloman, Ecclesiastes.. My summary to you of Soloman's life.
He wanted women, he had women. He wanted buildings, he had buildings. WHATEVER HE WANTED, HE HAD IT.. but in the end of his life, what did Soloman say?

Ecclesiastes 1:14 ,"I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit." (he says its pointless work. and nothing but pointlessness)

Ecclesiastes 12:13,14 ," Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgement, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil."

You may have love towards money. But that is only because your eyes are set to the life you have now. On this earth. But you may not realize, the life we are living now is just temporal. When death comes, which no one can prevent, no money is meaningful. Love for money can only temporarily satisfy your lust and it only shows the love you have for this world.. But Jesus saved us for a higher purpose. Jesus saved us to give our life a meaning.

1 John 2:15, "Love not the world, neither the things of this world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him"

Good that you are thinking about it.
Now when Jesus done miracles in healings.. for example in John 4, and even for the blind to see at Bethsaida on Sabbath day in Mark 8, were all this miracles done over a period of time?

Even during Moses time, where there as a bush of fire, or even when Moses staff turned into a snake, or when the angel killed alt the first born in one night, all this were done by God.

I think, we will never be able to fully understand how God did it. But we have to accept by faith God did. If it took time to grow? or how it happened? I think, when we get to heaven, we will find out. But when God said, He did it in a day. I think it happened in a day. Like how Jesus healed instantly or asked Lazarus(Who is dead) to come out instantly.

By faith we accept it.

I can understand your questions because i once asked them myself too.
It is not documented on other countries.. but we can find traces of it.
More so in China.
During Jesus Era, which is a short few years.. during the crucifixion of Jesus, at this time, Israelites were already all around the world. They came back to worship the passover and so happen witnessed the death and resurrection of Jesus. Disciples were preaching in their respective languages at the countries they were from.
Now where to find traces of the old testament?
Look to China's practices and culture. There is a book that explains traditional chinese writings which actually depicts God and Jesus.

But look at Chinese new year where red is used, and hung around the door. Or sacrifices are needed to worship. Why red hanging around the door. Because Chinese believes it is meant to scare the red devil away from killing. If you do a study deep enough, you will realize it is closely related to when Moses instructed Israel to paint red blood on their door. To prevent the angel of death from killing their first born.

LOLS.. the traces are there. But I personally believe it is not obvious because of Satan's cover-ups and also partly because after Rapture, it will be part of 'the great lie' which blinds everyone who is left behind.

Yes, Some of it.
but there's a lot more chinese words.
like Life.
or Emperor
Or Devil
Happiness and success..
I had the book once which is amazing cos a lot of the traditional chinese words are actually telling a story.

https://extremeliving.wordpress.com/2009/05...e-is-gods-word/

This is just a part of it.

can take a look for your reference.

BUT
I WANT TO CLEARLY STATE.. NEITHER OF THIS ARE BIBLICAL.. Its just something interesting BTW kind of read

Well you have your point.
Science creates facts based on what they discover.. and there are a lot of stuffs they DO NOT discover YET? or maybe not.

But when Science hypothesize ( Not a fact, just a theory, like how they say brain is just usage of 3% or something, thats also a theory proven wrong.. not a fact.. ) that the world is 4.5 billion years.

Clearly, they did not take into account a lot of factors
- Bible states the big flood. If you understand the carbon dating process enough, you will know how it will eventually affect the carbon dating.
- Difference in natural environment such as sun and rain factors. ( Our sun is getting hotter and hotter right?)
- and even natural disasters.
If you see some debunked theories of the world being 4.5 billion years, you will undnerstand, their story has another different side of it lols.. its just a widely accepted theory with a lot of flaws.. as good as the big bang theory.

The age of the world is unknown. Its not told in the Bible. But it is roughly estimated based on the timeline of events which the Bible stated. Like for example, how long after Adam, or how long after David, or how old was David when this happen, or how old was the other prophets.. so based on this, and combining it all, the entire Earth was, like i said, ESTIMATED.. to be 6,000 years old.

just an estimate.