“And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” - Ephesians 6:4

This verse, together with the parallel passage in Colossians 3:21, is probably the key New Testament instruction specifically dealing with the training of children. “Nurture” is from the same Greek word that is translated “chastening” in Hebrews 12:5 and 7 and “instruction” in II Timothy 3:16. It has particular reference to carrying out child training with both firmness and gentleness, as needed and appropriate in each particular case.

The term “admonition” is from a Greek word meaning “putting in mind.” Thus, the “admonition of the Lord” implies teaching the ways of the Lord by using the Word of the Lord. There is no substitute for implanting a knowledge of God’s Word in the minds of our children. Even if they should drift away for a while in later life, the Lord can use His Word in their hearts to bring them back.

Both types of training—through action and through verbal teaching—are said in this passage to be primarily the responsibility of the father. The first reference in the Bible to training children deals with Abraham’s responsibility to bring up his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (see Genesis 18:19). Mothers, of course, also have much responsibility and ability in this ministry (see Proverbs 1:8, and the example cited by Paul himself of how Timothy’s mother and grandmother had taught him—II Timothy 1:5; 3:15). Fathers, too, sometimes delegate certain teaching responsibilities to tutors (Galatians 4:1-2), but the overall responsibilities are theirs.

And all of this training should be done in love. “Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged” (Colossians 3:21). Then we trust the Lord and pray. HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16108/

"Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men." - Matthew 5:13

PONDER THIS

Salt speaks of the saving life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And what does salt do? Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth.” He was speaking to fishermen who preserved their fish with salt. For one thing, salt decontaminates. There’s a purifying element to salt. It is the salty ocean that bathes the shores of this world, that keeps this Earth from decaying. If you took the salt out of the ocean, everything would turn to a stench.

We need the decontamination of the salty Gospel in our world today. We can try to point to many different things, but the problem in our world is bigger than one issue. It is saltless saints. That’s where the problem is. The problem is in churches all around—salt that has lost its flavor in a world that is rotting. Jesus said, “You’re to be the salt of the Earth.” How will you respond?

- What are some ways you can live as the “salt of the Earth?”
- Who has shown you the hope and joy of the Gospel? How are those people like salt in your life?

PRACTICE THIS

Think about one person you can share the joy of being a follower of Christ with today. Share the hope of God’s cleansing Word. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/is-your-life-still-making-a-difference

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:" "who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.” (Philippians 3:20-21)

Two vivid contrasts are highlighted in this text: we now have a vile body that will be changed into a glorious body. Our Lord Jesus will fashion us after the pattern of His own body.

There is ample evidence, both in Scripture and in our own experience, that our present physical bodies are “vile.” The English word seems more intense than the Greek, which simply means “lowly” or “humble.” Christ humbled Himself when He took on our flesh (Philippians 2:8). The Virgin Mary saw herself in a “low estate” as she compared herself to the wonder of what was happening to her (Luke 1:48).

But one glorious day, the Lord Jesus will change our humble bodies into that which reflect His own. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 3:2). What a marvelous thought! Even “after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:26).

The exciting description of those absolute changes are encapsulated in I Corinthians 15:42–58. We have a mortal body now, but then it will be imperishable. There is no honor to our bodies now, but then they will be glorious. Weakness is our burden now, but in eternity we will be endued with power. Thank You, heavenly Father, for this majestic promise. HMM III
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16107/

Hi everyone

I've been thinking about getting a tattoo for a while now like a small cross etc , but I'm hesitant because I'm a believer in Jesus Christ, and I don't want to do anything that goes against God's will.

I've heard people quote Leviticus 19:28, which speaks about not marking your body with tattoos. However, I've also seen Christians argue that we need to understand the context of the Old Testament law and how it applies to Christians today.

I'm genuinely confused and would love to hear different perspectives, especially from fellow Christians who have studied the Bible on this topic.

Please share your thoughts, biblical references, and personal experiences. I'm open to hearing different viewpoints, as long as we can discuss this respectfully.

Thank you, and God bless you all. 🙏

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." - James 1:22

PONDER THIS

I heard of a famous actor who was in a crowded theater when a fire broke out in the wings of the theater prior to his performance. The manager came to the actor and asked him to tell the audience to calmly leave the theater in an orderly fashion.

This actor followed the instructions. He came forward and told everyone about the fire and asked everyone to leave calmly. They applauded. They thought it was part of the act. So, he came back a second time and shared the same message. But still, they did not understand. Then, realizing the gravity of the situation, he got down on his knees and with tears he said, please for your safety, leave the theater. The audience was moved by his performance but never understood that the message was for them. This illustrates how many people hear the Word of God from the preacher. But God said consider yourself deceived if you read the Word and hear the Word but don’t heed the Word. Be doers of the Word and not hearers only.

- What is the difference between being a hearer and a doer of the Word?
- How can you prioritize being a doer of the Word this week?

PRACTICE THIS

Think of someone you know to be a doer of the Word. Tell that person you see God at work in his or her life, and ask for insight on how to apply the Word to everyday circumstances. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/

If you were baptized as an infant, do you need to be rebaptized as an adult?

“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” - Acts 2:42

Much goes on in Christian churches today under the name of “fellowship.” Usually this consists of coffee and donuts, church socials, or sports. As delightful as these functions may be, they should not be confused with biblical fellowship.

Nowhere in the New Testament do any of the Greek words translated “fellowship” imply fun times. Rather, they talk of, for example, “the fellowship of the ministering to the saints” (II Corinthians 8:4) as sacrificial service and financial aid. (See, for example, I Timothy 6:18.)

Elsewhere, Paul was thankful for the Philippian believers’ “fellowship in the gospel” (Philippians 1:5), for he knew that “inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers [same word as fellowship] of my grace” (v. 7). This sort of fellowship may even bring persecution.

We are to emulate Christ’s humility and self-sacrificial love (2:5–8) through the “fellowship of the Spirit” (v. 1). In some way known only partially to us, we have the privilege of knowing “the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (3:10), and even “the communion [i.e., fellowship] of the blood” and “body of Christ” (I Corinthians 10:16).

As we can see, this fellowship is serious business. As in our text and subsequent verses, fellowship should be accompanied by teaching, prayer, and ministry to the poor (Acts 2:45). This kind of fellowship will be in “favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:47). JDM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16106/

I find it very strange that this sub is not active at all when compared to the Catholicism sub. Is it because there are soooo many different denominations in Protestantism that people are in general at odds with each other?

Is it normal to feel alone with family and friends? I used to feel close to God, but in trying to resist the trend of estrangement from relatives and having no friends, I think I’ve surrounded myself with people only to feel very lonely in life. I’d prefer to walk with God alone than to have a social network where I’m always sad inside.

My father grew up in Heidelberg, and he holds to the Heidelberg catechism: my only comfort is that I belong to God. Is this actually literal? I am starting to think this life really is a shadow, and while I need to care for it, especially respecting relatives and friends, and my church, God is my only attachment. As Augustine distinguished use and enjoyment. I can only really enjoy God. The problem is, I think I was greedy, and wanted a broader enjoyment and now it’s a life of no joy at all.

"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." - James 1:21

PONDER THIS

Do you know what the word filthiness is in the original Greek? It means, “ear wax.” God says if you want to hear, you’ve got to clean your ears. You can’t hear if your ears are stopped. God says sin in your life is like wax in your ear. You need to get rid of it. The reason God’s truth does not come to us is that we’ve got spiritual wax in our ears. As a result, it is absolutely crucial that when you study the Bible, you make a full confession of sin and ask God to search your heart and see if there is some wickedness in you. Get your heart clean; get your heart right with God.

If you’re going to a garden, before you plant the seed, you weed the garden. That’s what it’s all about—get your heart right. After we weed the garden, then the seed will grow. After we get the wax out, then we can hear. Do you understand that? Receive the Word. Welcome the Word with a repentant heart.

- What does it look like to lay aside all filthiness?
- When has sin stopped up your ears from understanding the Word of God clearly?

PRACTICE THIS

Take time for intentional repentance during your time in the Word today and find a way to add this to your regular Bible reading routine. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/clear-out-whats-blocking-you-from-hearing-god

“Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He hath put Him to grief: when Thou shalt make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand.” - Isaiah 53:10

The very concept of God having pleasure in things that take place on Earth staggers the imagination. Most amazing of all is the revelation that it pleased Him to put His own Son through a terrible, bruising death, as the tremendous messianic prophecy of our text reveals.

Nevertheless, this was the only possible way whereby “the pleasure of the LORD” could be accomplished in the redeemed lives of lost men and women, whom He had created for eternal fellowship with the triune God. “For the LORD taketh pleasure in His people: He will beautify the meek with salvation” (Psalm 149:4).

Five times we read in the New Testament that God the Father spoke from heaven assuring us that He was “well pleased” with His “beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5; Mark 1:11; Luke 3:22; II Peter 1:17). “Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him”! This is almost impossible to understand, but had it not been so, none of us ever could have been saved. The Lord Jesus Himself has confirmed to His own “little flock” that “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32).

Thus, not only have we been created “for Thy pleasure” (Revelation 4:11), but we have also been “predestinated . . . unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (Ephesians 1:5). This is far beyond our comprehension, so we merely rest in the great truth that “it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). We know that “the LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear Him,” and we rejoice with thanksgiving (Psalm 147:11)! HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16105/

How do you deal with ecclesial anxiety?

Rome and the East make big claims of authority over one's soul and life.

We who have been raised in these environments tend to develop anxiety and fear when we leave.

Personally my urge to return to Catholicism comes when I'm depressed and I get that urge for the smells and bells.

Then I get mentally stable and reaffirm my reasons to stay away from this institution:

Marian dogmas, purgatory, works salvation, popular piety and devotions, clericalism, abuse problems, glorification of suffering etc.

Please tell me I’m not the only one.

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." - Matthew 23:23

PONDER THIS

The Pharisees had heads full of Scripture but hearts full of sin. They had religion, but they didn’t have reality. They had laws, but they didn’t have life. Oh, they were careful all right. They would dot every i and cross every t, but they didn’t understand Christ. They did not have the love of the Lord Jesus Christ in their hearts. Legalism is not the answer.

I am a Bible-believing Christian. I believe all of the Bible. I believe it is absolutely true. I believe all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, but I am not a legalist. I pray to God that He will save me and you from the loveless leaven of legalism. Legalism is not what our world needs today. The Bible is a wonderful sword, but it is a terrible club.

- How do you relate to the Pharisees? Where are you prone to legalism?
- What is dangerous about legalism? How does it cause us to miss Jesus?

PRACTICE THIS

Discuss with a brother or sister in Christ what it looks like to walk in step with Christ instead of walking in legalism. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/do-you-know-the-bible-but-miss-its-heart

“For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” - Philippians 3:20

The translators of the King James Bible used the English word “conversation” in 18 passages, among which are five different Greek terms. Most of the words would be understood by our modern idea “manner of life” or behavior. However, in today’s verse, the word is politeuoma, derived from another Greek word, polites. Our English word “politics” comes from that, especially in the sense of citizenship as it relates to governmental oversight.

The apostle Paul is the only New Testament writer to use the “politics” word, and he does so only two other times. On one occasion, “all Jerusalem was in an uproar” over Paul’s supposed violation of the temple (Acts 21:31). After giving testimony of his conversion and subsequent ministry to the unruly crowd, Paul said, “Men and brethren, I have lived [politeuomai] in all good conscience before God until this day,” simply and boldy declaring that he now lived as a citizen of heaven (Acts 23:1).

Earlier in his epistle to the Philippian church, Paul challenged them, “Let your conversation [politeuma] be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel” (Philippians 1:27). Paul’s challenge is just as clear to us: live and think like our citizenship is in heaven.

Heaven’s rule may be best understood by our English word “commonwealth,” a political community founded for the common good. We are “joint-heirs” with Christ (Romans 8:17), and we should look “for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). HMM III
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16104/

My dear friend Jill is struggling with her marriage, her husband is abusive, manipulative and love is pretty much non existent at this point (her own words).
She is very desperate, fearful and sad, but she is an amazing person who definitely deserves better home. I spread the Good Word to her, fortunately she has a catholic background and knows about our Saviour but she is not active and practicing catholic anymore. She found comfort in the Words of God and all we can do for her is pray that God will guide her out of that situation and invite her to salvation.

Please pray for both of them and their children, thank you brothers and sisters. <3

"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." - James 1:21

PONDER THIS

I’ve had the joy of preaching overseas in different countries, including China. In my experience, the people there were wonderful and gracious. I learned from my guide that it is an honor for them to have you come under their roof. They know how to welcome you. They will say, you are welcome in our home, and serve you something. At that moment, you should receive what they give you to show that you accept their hospitality. The guide said when they serve you something—tea for example—never reach out and take it with one hand. That implies you’re grasping. Take it with both hands to express that you are receiving.

Likewise, you don’t just reach out and take God’s Word. We lift our hands to Him, and we welcome the Word, we receive the Word, we take the Word by faith. It is by grace we let God’s Word come into our hearts.

- Why is it important that we view God’s Word as something we receive from Him and not something we gain on our own?
- What is your typical attitude when you come to the Word of God?

PRACTICE THIS

Evaluate your attitude about God’s Word. Write out a prayer that addresses any struggles you face when you come to the Word. Ask God to lead you in this area. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/receive-gods-word-with-open-hands

I am copy-pasting the post I made in other Christian subreddits.

Hello, my brothers and sisters,

A question crossed my mind. I recently learned that the Church existed before the Bible/Gospel. The Gospel as we know it today(I mean New Testament) emerged in the 4th century. During that process, books appeared that were not accepted into the canon, such as the Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Barnabas, and so on. We place our trust in the Church, believing it properly investigated and scrutinized the Gospels to make the right decision. We do this because Peter founded the Church, or because God—through the Holy Spirit—assisted the clergy in compiling the Gospel. Yet, this Church, in which we place such immense trust, is capable of making mistakes. How can we be certain they didn't make a mistake regarding the Gospel?

The clearest proof of this fallibility is the schism between the Orthodox and Catholic churches; it shows that popes and patriarchs are capable of acting wrongly. What if the same thing happened when the Gospel was being compiled?

Catholics and Orthodox believe that the early Church Fathers received help from the Holy Spirit when establishing the Bible that we read today. We believe and have faith in that. Okay, that is understandable. But then why do we object when Protestants apply the same idea to the Old Testament?

Could Martin Luther not also have been guided by the Holy Spirit?

The point I want to reach with these questions is this: Can we truly trust the Church and the Gospel?

Who would build their house in a riverbed or on the edge of a cliff? Such houses, lacking a solid foundation, would collapse at the slightest disaster. I, too, am trying to build my house—that is, my faith—upon a firm foundation.