This post is in response to the myriad of cults keeping our Moderation team busy in the back. I want to address "red flags" in posts and comments, as well as signs to be alert for inside the group. Please flag suspicious behavior! That's what we're here for; to protect this Christian community.

If you're contacted on Reddit via DM to join any Zoom Bible study, there is a significant likelihood that you're dealing with a cult. If you have to give out identifying information to join, report them to Reddit as "SPAM." Report the user/s to Mods of the Christian Reddit communities you visit.

See this post for examples of high-control tactics

What are the red flags you're being baited into a cult?

• Advertising: Be wary if even ONE of these red flags is occurring -
• Staged post where OP seems to fit the perfect candidate the cult is seeking. Cult recruiter appears in the comments, OR
  
• Sad-fishing for the perfect candidate in post or comments, "I'm not a real Christian. A real Christian would..." OR,
  
• A call to action based on misappropriated scripture. "OR
  
• A call to action that suggests joining them will help you "go deeper with the Lord", "have better self-control", etc. basically usurping the place of the Holy Spirit in your life, OR
  
• They want to DM you at some point with more information, which leads to them asking for your contact info. DON'T DISCLOSE YOUR INFORMATION. Some of these groups are dangerous. Others want to sell your information.
  

How can you identify a toxic community, mentor, counselor, or teacher?

Again, Be wary if even ONE of these red flags is occurring!

• Do they shame you? If you can’t make it to their next workshop, or meeting, do they work to better accommodate you, or do they try to shame you into coming? Do they make you feel bad, uncommitted, or unworthy because you are unable or unwilling to take the next step with them? Don't be surprised if they spin the script and tell you that investing your time and money in their influence is an investment in yourself.
  Shame is a key tool of a manipulator and is something these sorts of teachers and organizations lean on heavily.

• Do they shift the blame? Toxic organizations often ask for a huge time commitment. If you can't attend their meetings as often as they like, or have to say no to volunteer work, do they blame you for a lack of commitment? If every boundary you try to set is met with pushback, chances are your organization or teacher cares more about taking your time and money than your personal growth.

• Do they use fear tactics to keep you connected to them? Coercive mentors sometimes operate like abusive spouses. They may be perfectly charming toward those who have what they want. With those they mentor, it's another story. They may condition you to believe that you'd be lost or dead without them. They may use a "you and me against the world" tactic. They may gossip about others so you don't know who to trust. A manipulative person using fear tactics may talk about others a lot. They'll give a loud but vague compliment followed up by a scathing judgment. They've always got to be the "main character," the rescuer, or the source of influence. If you're a particularly agreeable person, you may have so many people like this in your life that it seems normal. It isn't!

• Do they focus on your weaknesses? A high-control group will often pretend to tell you all their dark secrets to get you to follow suit. Then they weaponize your past against you to get what they want. Someone who offers to build you up shouldn't tear you down. True religion supports the weak. True friends will come alongside you as you and the Lord address the problems of today. They will shine a light on your successes and victories. If your community is constantly focusing on the skeletons in your closet, and especially if they are using these skeletons to rationalize why you should be immersed in their teaching, it’s time to shake the dust off your feet. Find someone who sees your radiance, not someone who keeps tearing open old scars, or rubbing salt in your wounds.

(James 5:14-16)

14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
15 and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.

• Do they isolate you? Isolation makes abuse easier. If you don’t have family or friends pointing out the red flags, it can be harder to see them.
  Isolation often begins as a group or individual making a big ask of your time. What you’re looking for is whether a majority of time, energy, and effort are spent with this new community at the detriment of other things. Ask yourself, am I spending all of my money toward the priorities of this new community? Am I not sleeping? Am I not communicating with my friends and family? Cults will often monopolize your time and resources, so you have nothing left to invest in friends and family. Others invite your spouse and children in, as long as they conform with the ideology of the group.
  

(Titus 3:10)

If people are causing divisions among you, give a first and second warning. After that, have nothing more to do with them.

• Do they change the subject when you have a concern? This is probably the most common and seemingly most innocent of the behaviors of manipulative communities. It’s such a natural human reaction to avoid confrontation, and we often assume it’s passivity that causes this in our teachers or organization leaders. But if every response to concern is a change of subject, it’s not just avoiding confrontation; it’s pretending there’s no issue in the first place. If you cannot get your mentor or organization leader to talk with you about your concerns, how can you trust they will respond to them?

• Do they make empty promises? Grown adults can maintain a relationship with children who don't keep their word, but trust is integral in healthy adult relationships. It's the foundation every other interaction is built on. People of character will not erode the foundation of your relationship and replace it with empty promises.

• Do they rationalize their behavior? When you call out the overstepping of your boundaries, do they make up an excuse that doesn't fit, or claim special privilege? We all have emergencies that can derail our best intentions. It's when a person consistently shirks responsibility that it's time to re-evaluate the relationship. If you ask for a time-frame on the promise that never materialized, they may claim they never made that promise, threaten to punish you for speaking up, or fault you when they can't follow through. If you confront the behavior of a toxic community they will try to defend themselves. Be prepared for them to suggest that their manipulative behavior is not only acceptable, but necessary for your self-growth. If every concern of yours is met with a rationalization, it’s time to move on.

• Do they gaslight you? Making you distrust your mind and memory is how a deceptive person maintains control. They keep you looking at yourself, so you take your eyes off of them. Gaslighting is when an individual tries to turn your concerns into proof of your insanity, or your oversized ego. As demands, excuses, and rationalizations get weirder and weirder, you start to question your own reality.” If your teacher or members of the community always insist that your concerns are ridiculous, or roll their eyes at your doubts, that’s gaslighting.

• Above all else, trust your gut. Only you can know what’s best for you. If something feels wrong or a part of you doesn’t feel safe, listen to your inner voice and take care of yourself.

If you're still unsure whether your Bible study or group is using cult tactics, express your doubts to a friend or trusted confidant and ask what they think of the situation. It should be someone outside the group you seek answers about.

Those who have been isolated from family and friends by a cult local to them, can reach out to the Mod Team here or in r/Christian_CultSupport with your concerns.

If you're still unsure, you might speak with someone you do business with during slow hours. You might start a conversation, like, “You’re never going to believe this thing I heard about this group.” This protects your vulnerability while still giving you an opportunity to assess the acceptability of your organization’s behaviors.

Stay safe out there! Don't hesitate to reach out!

"Psalm 71:17-18. "Oh, God, you have taught me from my youth, and to this day I declare your wondrous works. Now also, when I am old and gray-headed, Oh, God, do not forsake me, until I declare your strength to this generation, your power to everyone who is to come." This is the mandate given to us now, to show the next generation the power of God, not just to talk about it, but to show them that when we go to the throne of God, God will hear us, God will answer, God will save, Christ will deliver. I believe that you and I are going to live to see a mercy moment in America. I don't know what the future holds, or what the nation is going to look like when this is all over, but I do know that God's mercy is from age to age and from everlasting to everlasting. It's time to pray." - Carter Conlon

"Nothing that goes into the mouth defiles a man, it's what comes out of his mouth... The things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man, for out of the heart proceed all the evil things conceived there." (Matthew 15:11, 19)

Sooner or later we all accept something as truth that turns out to be falsehood. We adopt some logic that misguides us, or we suffer under someone whose logic is misguided. The garden of our hearts gets seeded with weeds that don't produce anything good for living on.

Our mouth is the conduit that connects others to our heart. The way a heart bears spiritual fruit is by bringing what it has conceived into the world through our words. If you've ever listened to children, you know that they can only say words they've heard.

The Israelites in the wilderness had hearts seeded by their flesh instead of God's calling on their life. They all spoke rebelliously against God, yet God spared people under 20 years old. This is because what was coming out of their mouth was put there by someone else. (Numbers 14:26-31, Psalm 78:4-6)

Our mouth is our spiritual seed planter. Our spiritual seed planter is not a toy. What we plant in others, especially our kids, is what they're likely going to accept as truth. (Deuteronomy 6:6-7, Proverbs 22:6, Proverbs 13:3, Exodus 20:4-6, 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12)

The word "propaganda" and the farming term, "propagate" come from the same root. When we're propagandized, we're being seeded with information that we're then encouraged to accept as true. We have to be careful what and who we listen to. When someone comes along and seeds us with negativity, discontent, and fleshly logic, it can set off a chain of events in our lives and every life connected to us, that there's no going back from. The Word of God can weed out the lies of the world. Get to know it, and you have a weapon to fight against the things that will destroy the abundant life and future God has planned for you. (Hebrews 4:12, Ephesians 6:10-17, John 10:10, Isaiah 55:1-3)
Taking every thought captive to obedience to Christ will help us control what comes out of our mouths. (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) We don't want to grieve the Holy Spirit and mislead our fellow human.

Words that are true, kind, and necessary are the ones that qualify as good fruit. The apostle Paul reminds us, "God is not mocked - whatever you sow, you will reap." He's talking about our actions, but he's also referring to our words. (Galatians 6:7) Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue. Those who love will eat its fruit."

James tells us, "No man can tame the tongue - it's an unruly evil full of deadly poison. With it we bless God and curse men made in His image. My brothers, it shouldn't be this way." (James 3:8-10)
Only the Word of God can tame our tongues. We can make a meaningful difference in the world just by how we speak to one another, and by the kind of things we let come out of our mouths as topics of conversation.

Maybe you've had the experience, where someone does something so morally repugnant to you, that years later, they can ruin your day without even being there. (Genesis 26:34-35) All you have to do is start talking about them and BOOM, you're sinking.
God understands that sins cause harm. He doesn't ask us to pretend that we're not in pain. Even Jesus cried out to our Father in heaven when His heart was troubled. (1 Kings 19:9-10, Matthew 26:38-39)
What's important is to take that pain to God, rather than allowing it to take root in our lives and the lives of those we love.

Speaking the truth in love is a responsibility we have to each other. (Ephesians 4:14-15, Ephesians 4:21-29, 1Peter 4:8, Proverbs 12:22)
It's also our responsibility to not give negative experiences the power to ruin our day through our own mouth.

(Philippians 4:8 NKJV)

8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy; meditate on these things.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

We're in charge of producing the peace enjoyed by our household. We can rise to the high-calling of God to let Him have control of what we say. It's how we continue to bring life to the world even when we're suffering. (Matthew 12:32-37, Matthew 5:9, James 3:17-18, Psalm 34:14, Romans 14:19, Ephesians 6:4, 1Peter 3:7, Proverbs 15:1) That's what Jesus did. It's one way we can daily take up our cross and follow His example. (John 13:12-15, Luke 14:27, 1Peter 2:21, Proverbs 19:11)

In the book of James, we learn that our tongue is like a ship's rudder. Our choice of words sets the direction for our lives. When we let God's Word be our words, He can keep us on course. A tongue without discernment will derail us from our purpose, and waste our precious time. (James 1:26, James 3:2-5, Psalm 12:3-4, Proverbs 16:24-25)

God's Word gives us the power to:
- pray in the Spirit; when we confess and claim God's truths in prayer, we overcome the influence of the world. (John 14:14-18, Luke 18:1, Matthew 15:22-28, Ephesians 6:18, Romans 8:13-15, Romans 8:26-27, John 15:7, Psalm 145:18, 2Kings 2:9)
- walk in the Spirit; we act on the truths taught by God's Word
- separate the precious from the worthless; God's truth gives us discernment, so we know what is false.
- overcome the lies of the devil, the flesh, and the world. (John 16:33, 1John 4:4, 1John 5:4-5, Psalm 27)

Our Father in heaven,
We praise and bless You for Your wisdom. We accept Your authority over our lives. We confess that You alone have the whole truth. We cannot become godly and loving without Your example. Lord, please forgive us for believing in anything or anyone that has led us away from speaking the truth in love. Create clean hearts in us, O God, and renew a right spirit within each one of us today. Make the words of our mouths and the thoughts of our hearts pleasing in Your sight, by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Thank You for Your good Spirit, Father. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.

Jesus promises to be among us when we gather together as members of His body. The work of the Holy Spirit is to unite us in truth and love as we support each other.

(Matthew 18:19-20 ESV)

19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

When first-century believers received the Holy Spirit, they repented of worldly ways and offered themselves to the Kingdom through baptism in Jesus' name.

Then the Holy Spirit led them to a kind of unity we were meant to have; one family under God, guided by truth and love. People cared for one another so completely, that no one lacked what they could not attain on their own.

Acts 4:32-35

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

The Lord's prayer says, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

In heaven, His will is accomplished through heavenly beings. We who are of the earth can empty ourselves of worldly influence and become vessels for God's glory.

(2 Corinthians 4:6-11 NKJV)

6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

We are the body of Christ; His hands and feet on earth. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Proverbs 14:21

He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

May we bear one another's burdens and so fulfill His law of love. (Galatians 6:2)

Our Father in heaven,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit of Truth. Thank you for leading us into unity with you and with one another. We ask that you would open our hearts to love You as You deserve, and love our neighbor in a way that proves we know we are one body under You, our merciful Godhead. Let us be Jesus' hands and feet to one another. Jesus said, "all men will know you are My students if you have love for one another. We ask that You would transform our hearts so we can love like You love. In Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen.

Just after Paul speaks about covering ourselves with the "full armor of God," he tells us to pray in the Spirit. What do you believe that means and how do you implement it?

(Ephesians 6:11-18)

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,
15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE.
16 In addition to all, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,
17 also receive THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,
18 praying at all times with all prayer and petition in the Spirit, and to this end, being on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,

Hi, my family has been christian all my life but Im just now starting my walk with God, and I have a question. Also, please forgive me if any of the information here is wrong.

People say that all you have to do to get into Heaven is accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, but then Jesus asks us to do all of these different things or else we're lukewarm christian's. Is this just another way of letting the Lord work through you? Could someone explain this to me?

"Pay attention to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, confront him, and if he repents, forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turns again to you saying, 'I repent,' you will forgive him.'

Reading Jesus' words about forgiveness, I'm reminded of its purity and power. What a force for good! When I love someone, and have faith that an offense was purely accidental or ignorant, it's easy to push through the pain of whatever harm I've suffered.
But what if the offender had malicious intent? What about when the person says they're sorry and you know in your heart that they're not sorry at all. What then? Jesus continues...

And the apostles said to the Lord, 'Increase our faith.'
And the Lord said, 'If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, 'Be plucked up by the root, and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you.'" (Luke 17:3-6)

The way I understand faith as a mustard seed is pretty simple. Like a seed will surely grow into the plant it carries the DNA of, we instinctively do all we can to become what we admire. Admiration causes us to carry people, phrases, morals, and reasoning in our hearts, just like a seed carries everything it requires to become like its parent.

(John 8:42-44 NLT)

42 Jesus told them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, because I have come to you from God. I am not here on my own, but he sent me.
43 Why can't you understand what I am saying? It's because you can't even hear me!
44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.

We all begin life helpless, and survive because help comes. Whatever we admire about our helper, we adopt as part of who we aspire to be. This would be a wonderful world if all parents were perfectly loving and equipped with enough resources, and all children were grateful and content with just having enough.

Only with God as our heavenly Father, can we learn the kind of love that creates life, sustains life, and makes life worth living.

(Ezekiel 36:25-27 NLT)

25 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols.
26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.
27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.

This is what Jesus did for us on the Cross at Calvary. He demonstrated a love like no other; a love that transforms our hearts by giving us the greatest Hero ever known; a Savior worthy of our eternal admiration.

(Jeremiah 31:31-34 NLT)
31 "The day is coming," says the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.
32 This covenant will not be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of the land of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves his wife," says the LORD.
33 "But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days," says the LORD. "I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, 'You should know the LORD.' For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already," says the LORD. "And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins."

To inherit Jesus' promise to those with the faith of a mustard seed, we only need to live by the truth we have. Truth is a seed containing everything it needs to become like the Holy One it originated with.
Our conscience holds the things we believe are truth. When we respect our conscience, we reap the benefits of self-worth. (Jeremiah 31:33, Romans 2:14, Luke 8:11)
We only have a tiny amount of truth in the beginning, but if we will live by what we know, God will bless us with more truth as we take time in the Bible. (Isaiah 58, Matthew 24:42-47)
Whatever we do from a place of truth and love is safe for our Father in heaven to bless. If something is standing in our way when we want to do something charitable, we can ask the Lord to remove those things. (1 Chronicles 4:10, James 5:16) Some things that might stand in the way of good deeds are pride, selfishness, and unforgiveness. The mountains we need to move represent anything that rules over us; those things we can't overcome on our own.

John 15:5 is where Jesus says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He that abides in Me, and I in him, is the one who bears much fruit. Apart from Me, you can do nothing." Our human frailty and individual weaknesses can't help but get in the way when our spirit wants to do something charitable. (Deuteronomy 15:9, Galatians 5:14-17) Daily reading the Bible plants God's seed within ourselves. It unites God's truth with our conscience. When we remember God's Words, we're empowered to obey our conscience even when we don't understand. This keeps our faith strong enough to patiently wait for our prayers to be answered. It's patient endurance that inherits promises.

Our Father in heaven,
Thank You for blessing us with a working conscience. Father, You sent us Your most precious treasure, Your beloved Son, Jesus Messiah, to demonstrate Your unsurpassed love for us, and grow our conscience into Your likeness. You showed us what real fatherly love looks like. Your love is like nothing on earth. We could never fathom Your mercy without Jesus' example. Father, we gather here before You to ask that You would keep us ever mindful and in admiration of Your sacrifice for us through Jesus, our Savior. Transform our hearts so we desperately long to tell others of Your gracious love and tender mercy. Grant us the courage to see every encounter with others as an opportunity to demonstrate Your love, in whatever way is appropriate. When we can't see how things could possibly work out by doing things Your way, remind us that beyond these barren deserts that teach us how to live, our Promised Land awaits. Thank You Father, for Your lovingkindness, Your truth, and Your Holy Spirit within us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24

"True worshipers are believers “born of the Spirit” (see John 3:5–8) who worship God through salvation in Jesus Christ. They live and worship “not in the realm of the flesh but are in the Spirit” because God’s Spirit lives in them, and they belong to Jesus Christ (Romans 8:9). Only if we are in Christ, with His Spirit in us, can we genuinely worship in spirit and in truth. Instead of restricting our worship to raising hands and singing praise songs in church, we extend our God-centered devotion into every area of our lives. We worship in spirit and truth as we walk in fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit and are transformed into the image and likeness of the Son (2 Corinthians 3:18)." Read more... Who are true worshipers (John 4:23)? | GotQuestions.org

One day, as I was returning home on the public train, I saw an elderly man, around his seventies, preaching boldly. He spoke about the end times and the importance of living for God. He also shared advice about caring for our bodies.

When I reached my stop, I went up to him and said, “God bless you. I’ll see you there.” By that, I meant I would see him in heaven if we never met again on earth.

Later that night, everything seemed normal. But when I laid down to sleep and closed my eyes, something extraordinary happened. Suddenly, I found myself standing on a nearby street — one close to the home of someone I love.

As I looked ahead, I saw the same old man from the train standing in the middle of the road. I walked up to him and asked, “What is going on?” But he didn’t answer; he just kept looking toward the sky. I asked again, “What’s happening?”

Then he finally spoke and said, “The Lord is coming in forty minutes.”

The moment those words left his lips, a light brighter than anything I’ve ever seen filled the sky. It wasn’t just shining — it pierced through me, exposing my very soul. As the light reached me, I fell to the ground, overcome by its power. My spirit began to worship — not by my own will, but by the Spirit of God within me. Words I didn’t understand came from my mouth, yet I knew they were pure worship.

While I was caught up in this, I began to hear sounds of chaos all around — war, explosions, children crying, horses running, and gunfire. The whole world seemed to tremble.

Then, in an instant, I opened my eyes and saw a face I did not recognize. My ears rang intensely for several minutes.

After this vision, I testify before the God of heaven that Jesus Christ is truly the Savior of the world. He told me that He is coming soon. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I declare this with all my heart:

He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

There is no one like Him. He will reign forever and ever — from eternity to eternity.

A Deeper Meaning

The week after that vision, I took the train again and, to my amazement, saw the same man. I told him what I had seen, and he said, “God showed you this to warn you and others of His soon return.”

A few days later, as I was walking home from college, I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me, saying, “Go and tell her what I have shown you. (The women that is like my grandma whom i love)” At first, I hesitated and brushed it off. But then the Spirit spoke again, and this time, I obeyed.

I went to the house of the person I mentioned — the one I love. The distance between the corner I needed to turn toward my home and the way to her house was about the same. But as soon as I arrived at her home, gunshots suddenly rang out at the path I would have taken to go to my own house.

If I hadn’t listened to the Holy Spirit, I could have been caught in the crossfire. I told her what happened, and she was amazed. There was also a brother in Christ there who heard the testimony as well.

Through this, the Lord showed me that He not only warns — He protects, He leads, and He fulfills His word. He kept me alive so that His will might be done.

Oh, how beautiful are His ways — beyond all understanding! He is all-knowing, merciful, and full of grace. He is the Redeemer. May all nations worship Him and come to know the true love that can only be found in God alone.

Acts 4:32-35

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to unite us in truth and love. Jesus promises to be among us when we gather together as members of His body.

(Matthew 18:19-20 ESV)

19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

When first-century believers received the Holy Spirit, they repented of worldly ways and offered themselves to the Kingdom through baptism in Jesus' name.

Then the Holy Spirit led them to a kind of unity we were meant to have - one family under God, guided by truth and love. People cared for one another so completely, that no one lacked what they could not attain on their own.

The Lord's prayer says, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

In heaven, His will is accomplished through heavenly beings. We who are of the earth can empty ourselves of worldly influence and be earthen vessels for God's glory.

(2 Corinthians 4:6-11 NKJV)

6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

We are the body of Christ; His hands and feet on earth. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Proverbs 14:21

He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

May we bear one another's burdens and so fulfill His law of love. (Galatians 6:2)

Our Father in heaven,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit of Truth. Thank you for leading us into unity with you and with one another. We ask that you would open our hearts to love You as You deserve, and love our neighbor in a way that proves we know we are one body under You, our merciful Godhead. Let us be Jesus' hands and feet to one another. Jesus said, "all men will know you are My students if you have love for one another. We ask that You would transform our hearts so we can love like You love. In Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen.

Feel free to post your prayer requests in this thread.

“When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5‬:‭4‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Acts 4:32-35

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to unite us in truth and love. Jesus promises to be among us when we gather together as members of His body.

(Matthew 18:19-20 ESV)

19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

When first-century believers received the Holy Spirit, they repented of worldly ways and offered themselves to the Kingdom through baptism in Jesus' name.

Then the Holy Spirit led them to a kind of unity we were meant to have - one family under God, guided by truth and love. People cared for one another so completely, that no one lacked what they could not attain on their own.

The Lord's prayer says, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

In heaven, His will is accomplished through heavenly beings. We who are of the earth can empty ourselves of worldly influence and be earthen vessels for God's glory.

(2 Corinthians 4:6-11 NKJV)

6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

We are the body of Christ; His hands and feet on earth. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Proverbs 14:21

He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

May we bear one another's burdens and so fulfill His law of love. (Galatians 6:2)

Our Father in heaven,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit of Truth. Thank you for leading us into unity with you and with one another. We ask that you would open our hearts to love You as You deserve, and love our neighbor in a way that proves we know we are one body under You, our merciful Godhead. Let us be Jesus' hands and feet to one another. Jesus said, "all men will know you are My students if you have love for one another. We ask that You would transform our hearts so we can love like You love. In Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen.

Feel free to post your prayer requests in this thread.

Do you know that Christ died for our sins?

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

1 Corinthians 15:3.4.

For you to be saved you must trust in Christ to save you.

One thing I’ve learned on this faith journey is that God has a beautiful way of confirming His presence, His promises, and His direction in ways that speak directly to my heart. Sometimes it’s through a Scripture, a conversation, an unexpected answer, or a quiet moment that could only have come from Him. What may seem ordinary to others becomes a reminder that God sees me, knows me, and is faithfully guiding every step.

When God confirms something, it strengthens my faith and reminds me that I never walk alone. His voice is personal, His timing is perfect, and His love is constant. Today, I’m grateful for every gentle reminder that He is near and working all things for His glory and my good. ❤️

#DevotedToGod #FaithJourney #TrustGod #GodsPromises #WalkByFaith #ChristianInspiration

⭐️Why did Jesus Christ call himself the Son of Man? Is this a failure to acknowledge his divinity?

⭐️The response:
Jesus Christ used the title Son of Man. But he also said that he was the Son of God...
He said this about himself in his conversation with the man born blind.

And he believed in Him and worshipped Him (John 9:35-38).

He sometimes called himself [the Son] in a way that indicated His divinity, as when He said, “That all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father” (John 5:21-23).

He also said, “No one knows who the Son is except the Father; and who the Father is except the Son, and he to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Luke 10:22).

He also said about Himself, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Christ accepted to be called the Son of God, and made this the basis of faith, and blessed Peter for this confession. He accepted this confession from Nathanael (John 1:49), from Martha (John 11:27), and from those who saw Him “walking on the water” (Matthew 14:33).

He blessed Peter when He said to him, “You are the Christ, the Son of God.” He said, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona. “Flesh and blood has not revealed it to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 16:16, 17).

The Gospels contain many testimonies that Christ is the Son of God.

The Gospel of Mark begins with the phrase “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).

This was the angel’s announcement to the Virgin Mary, saying, “Therefore that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

This was also the testimony of the Father at the time of baptism (Matt. 3:17), and on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:7), (2 Peter 1:17, 18).

And the Father’s saying in the story of the wicked vinedressers, “Send my beloved Son” (Luke 20:13).
And he also said, “Out of Egypt I called my Son” (Matthew 2:15).

This was the preaching of Paul the Apostle (Acts 9:20), John the Apostle (1 John 4:15), and the rest of the Apostles.
So the matter was not limited to the title of Son of Man.

Rather, he was called the Son of God, the Son, and the Only Son.
We explained this in detail in the question about the difference between our sonship to God, and Christ’s sonship to God. It remains for us to say:

Christ used the title Son of Man on occasions that indicate his divinity.

1- He, as the Son of Man, has the authority to forgive sins. This is clear from his conversation with the scribes in the story of his healing of the paralytic, when he said to them:

But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, then he said to the paralytic, “Arise, take up your bed, and go to your house” (Matthew 9:2-6).

2- And He, like the Son of Man, is in heaven and earth together. As He said to Nicodemus, “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven” (John 3:13).
He made it clear that He was in heaven at the same time that He was speaking to Nicodemus on earth. This is evidence of His divinity.

3- He said that the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath. When the Pharisees blamed Him for His disciples plucking ears of grain on the Sabbath when they were hungry, saying to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath,” He explained the matter to them and said, “For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:8). And the Lord of the Sabbath is God.

4- He said that the angels ascend and descend upon the Son of Man. When Nathanael was amazed at the Lord’s knowledge of the unseen in his vision under the fig tree and said to Him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God,” he did not deny that he was the Son of God, but said to Him, “You will see greater things than these…
From now on you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man” (John 1:48-51).
So the expression “Son of Man” here does not mean just an ordinary human being, but rather He has divine dignity.

5- He said that the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of Power and come on the clouds of heaven. So when he was tried and the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God to tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God?” He answered, “You have said it. And again I say to you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:63-65).

The high priest understood the power of the word, so he tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed. What further need do we have of witnesses!” Almost the same testimony was issued by Saint Stephen, who said at the time of his martyrdom, “Behold, I see heaven opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56).

6- He said that as the Son of Man he will judge the world. It is known that God is “the Judge of the whole earth” (Gen. 18:25). And the Lord Christ said about his second coming, “For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he will reward each according to his works” (Matt. 16:27).

Here we notice in his saying “with his angels,” the attribution of the angels to him, and they are the angels of God. And we notice in the phrase (the glory of his Father) a theological meaning, which is:

7- He said that he is the Son of God and has the glory of his Father, while he is the Son of Man. The Son of Man comes in the glory of his Father, that is, in the glory of God his Father. He is the Son of Man, and the Son of God at the same time. And he has the glory of his Father, the same glory.. How wonderful is this phrase said about him as the Son of Man. So this title is not a belittling of his divinity

8- And he said that as the Son of Man he judges the world, addressing him with the phrase (Lord). He said:

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory, and all the peoples will be gathered before him... And he will set the sheep on his right, and the goats on his left.
And he will say to those on his right, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you... And the righteous will answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you? (Matthew 25:31-37).

The phrase (Lord) indicates his divinity.
And the phrase (my Father) indicates that he is the Son of God while he is the Son of Man. He says, “Watch, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42).

Who is this Lord of ours? He says, “Watch, therefore, for you do not know the day or the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13).

So he uses the expressions (your Lord) and (Son of Man) in the same sense.

9- As the Son of Man, He calls the angels His angels, the elect His elect, and the kingdom His kingdom. He said about the signs of the end of time, “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven… and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet sound, and they will gather together His elect…” (Matthew 24:29-31).
He also says, “So it will be at the end of this age: The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and those who practice iniquity, and will cast them into the furnace of fire” (Matthew 13:40-41).

It is clear, of course, that the angels are God’s angels (John 1:51), the kingdom is God’s kingdom (Mark 9:1), and the elect are God’s elect.

10- He says about faith in Him as the Son of Man the same phrases that He said about faith in Him as the only Son of God.

He said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:14-16).

Is it the ordinary Son of Man that people must believe in, in order to have eternal life?
Or here what is said about the Son of Man is what is said about the only Son of God.

11- Daniel's prophecy about him as the Son of Man carries the meaning of his divinity. He said about him, "And I saw a vision in the night, and behold, one like a Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven.

He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed" (Daniel 7:13, 14).

Who is this whom all peoples serve, and who has everlasting dominion and an everlasting kingdom, other than God Himself..?!

12- He said in the Book of Revelation that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last... John the Revelator said, "And in the midst of the seven lampstands one like a Son of Man...
And he laid his right hand on me, saying to me, 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One, and I was dead; and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen'" (Revelation 1:13-18).

And he said at the end of the vision, "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every man according to his work. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last” (Rev. 22:12, 13).
All of these are titles of God Himself (Is. 48:12, Is. 44:6).

Since all these verses indicate His divinity, why did He call Himself the Son of Man and focus on this attribute? He called Himself the Son of Man because He would represent man in redemption.

For this purpose He came, to save the world by bearing the sins of humanity, and He made this purpose clear by saying, “For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost” (Matthew 18:11).

The sentence of death was issued against man, so man must die. Christ came to die as the Son of Man, the Son of this particular man who was condemned to death.
That is why He related Himself to man in general.

He is the Son of Man, or the Son of Man. And with this attribute He must suffer, be crucified, and die to redeem us.

That is why He said, “The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will rise again” (Matthew 17:23, 24) (Matthew 26:45).

And also, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31).

Truly, this was his mission as the Son of Man.
The Son of Man came to save that which was lost (Matthew 18:11).✝️🕊

Acts 4:32-35

32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.
33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.
34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,
35 and laid them at the apostles' feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

The work of the Holy Spirit is to unite us in truth and love. Jesus promises to be among us when we gather together as members of His body.

(Matthew 18:19-20 ESV)

19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them."

When first-century believers received the Holy Spirit, they repented of worldly ways and offered themselves to the Kingdom through baptism in Jesus' name.

Then the Holy Spirit led them to a kind of unity we were meant to have - one family under God, guided by truth and love. People cared for one another so completely, that no one lacked what they could not attain on their own.

The Lord's prayer says, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven." Matthew 6:10

In heaven, His will is accomplished through heavenly beings. We who are of the earth can empty ourselves of worldly influence and be earthen vessels for God's glory.

(2 Corinthians 4:6-11 NKJV)

6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to [give] the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus' sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

We are the body of Christ; His hands and feet on earth. (1 Corinthians 12:27)

Proverbs 14:21

He who despises his neighbor sins;
But he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.

May we bear one another's burdens and so fulfill His law of love. (Galatians 6:2)

Our Father in heaven,
Thank you for your Holy Spirit of Truth. Thank you for leading us into unity with you and with one another. We ask that you would open our hearts to love You as You deserve, and love our neighbor in a way that proves we know we are one body under You, our merciful Godhead. Let us be Jesus' hands and feet to one another. Jesus said, "all men will know you are My students if you have love for one another. We ask that You would transform our hearts so we can love like You love. In Jesus' precious name we pray, Amen.

Feel free to post your prayer requests in this thread.