Discussion question:

[jv_coach]

Do you consider your "religion" to be a matter of preference, or to be true?

Can you back up your answer?

___________________________
my response 


Truth. God is truth and while following Christ is faith it is not a blind faith, but rather a reasonable faith. 
Blind faith is "I believe something even though the object of your faith is wrong or in doubt". A reasonable faith has answers that can be backed up with answers to the critique while awaiting the final outcome. 
Archaeology proves that the word of God is reliable. Archaeology proves the Quran and The book of Morman wrong. 
The Bible gives primary sources and outside sources to His narrative. 
The Bible was written in what is know known as "dead languages" because the words in the original manuscripts mean the same thing today that they ment when they were written. 
The Bible has specific prophecies that have been fulfilled. So when God says "trust Me" then we know we can take Him at His word. 
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" The Bible Romans 6:23

[mat]

Both

[Hagar]

 

Truth!

I'm reminded of a little magnetic note a friend once had attached to his trucks glove box.  It said, "God said it. I believe it. That settles it!"

A simple statement, yet oddly, I've remembered it all these years.  Maybe it's not quite as simple as it seems.  

[LumRaiderFan]

I agree with Mat...both.

Some people choose a more charismatic time of Worship while others like it quieter and laid back (just one example)

As long as it follows the Bible, it's all good.

Sometimes we get too hung up on the small "non-Kingdom" issues and forget about what's important

[Aces_Full]

What denomination of Christianity do you believe to be the truth?  Catholicism, Baptism, Methodist, Lutheran, Protestant, Anglican, Church of Christ, Jehovah's Witness, Eastern Orthodox, Mennonite, or Non-Denominational (sorry if I left some out)?  

Because Catholics don't necessarily believe in the same teachings and rituals as Jehovah's witness, etc.  

[Aces_Full]

ttt

[jv_coach]

There are essential truths and the JW's, Mormans, Oneness Pentecostal, Word of Faith, that deny essential truths and have made up their own god, so they are not Biblical. 

within Catholicism they are very work based on their salvation and within the Catholic Church there is a push to make Mary co-redemptrix  with Jesus (thus making her as equal with Jesus) and The position of the Pope has proven to be not trustworthy. So for the most part they are deceived but their is a remnant of faith.
With the protestants is depends on how liberal they have gone because liberal Christianity pretty much denies Jesus.

But in every church denomination there are the goat and the sheep.   

[tvc184]

7 hours ago, jv_coach said:

There are essential truths and the JW's, Mormans, Oneness Pentecostal, Word of Faith, that deny essential truths and have made up their own god, so they are not Biblical. 

within Catholicism they are very work based on their salvation and within the Catholic Church there is a push to make Mary co-redemptrix  with Jesus (thus making her as equal with Jesus) and The position of the Pope has proven to be not trustworthy. So for the most part they are deceived but their is a remnant of faith.
With the protestants is depends on how liberal they have gone because liberal Christianity pretty much denies Jesus.

But in every church denomination there are the goat and the sheep.   

I once saw a bumper sticker with your sentiments. "My Jesus is better than your Jesus". 

[LumRaiderFan]

The good news is that Christianity is based on Christ...not Christians.

[jv_coach]

On 3/14/2016 at 4:33 AM, tvc184 said:

I once saw a bumper sticker with your sentiments. "My Jesus is better than your Jesus". 
I would find another way of understanding theology other then a bumper-sticker.

I once read what Jesus said. Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” John 6:29

 

Matthew 13:31-32Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The Parables of the Mustard Seed and of the Yeast

³¹ He presented another parable to them: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. ³² It’s the smallest of all the seeds, but when grown, it’s taller than the vegetables and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the sky come and nest in its branches.”

Jude said "³ Dear friends, although I was eager to write you about the salvation we share, I found it necessary to write and exhort you to contend for the faith that was delivered to the saints once for all. ⁴ For some men, who were designated for this judgment long ago, have come in by stealth;they are ungodly, turning the grace of our God into promiscuity and denying Jesus Christ, our only Master and Lord."

Peter said  "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves. ² Many will follow their unrestrained ways, and the way of truth will be blasphemed because of them. ³ They will exploit you in their greed with deceptive words. Their condemnation,pronounced long ago, is not idle, and their destruction does not sleep."
2 Peter 2:3-4

[RETIREDFAN1]

On 3/2/2016 at 8:33 AM, Aces_Full said:

What denomination of Christianity do you believe to be the truth?  

no denomination.....the ONE True Church is the one you can read about in the New Testament......no others fit the bill......

[RETIREDFAN1]

Attend the Church of Your Choice

BY ROGERS, HEATH, ON JULY 12TH, 2012

Often times the appeal is made for men to attend the church of their choice. While we certainly appreciate the noble sentiment behind this appeal, we deny that such is in harmony with the Word of God. What does the Bible say about attending the church of your choice?

The Bible gives us some choices that we can make. We are to choose life over death (Deuteronomy 30:19), choose whether or not we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15), choose the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 1:29), choose our friends (Proverbs 12:26), and choose what pleases the Lord (Isaiah 56:4). The Bible says nothing about choosing the church we will attend.

For one thing, the Bible states that Jesus only built one church. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Notice that the words “church” and “it” indicate that what Jesus would build would be singular in nature. There was only one church in the first century; thus there was no choice.

Secondly, becoming a member of the church is not a matter of choice. It is something that happens to us when we choose to be saved. “…and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). The church is the body of saved people. The moment we are saved we are made a part of that body. The religious world teaches that once we have been saved, we should find a church and join it. However, the Bible teaches that the very act that saves us automatically puts us in the church. The Bible says nothing about joining “the church of your choice” because no such choice is offered in the Bible. There was, and is, only one church.

The appeal to attend the church of our choice is contrary to the Bible’s plan for unity among believers. The religious world is full of different churches teaching different and conflicting doctrines. Some churches want to overcome these differences by simply overlooking them. With an attitude of “you believe what you believe, and I’ll believe what I believe,” we are told to embrace and celebrate our doctrinal differences. We are to recognize one another as brethren, while respecting our differences. This kind of unity is based upon doctrinal compromise, which is not the unity that is prescribed in the New Testament.

Jesus prayed that believers would be united as one upon the word of the apostles (i.e., upon doctrinal matters). “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me” (John 17:20-21).

Paul urged believers to be one. “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10). When it comes to matters of doctrine, we are to speak the same thing, and be perfectly joined together in the same mind and judgment. We are not to be divided doctrinally.

In Ephesians 4:3-6, Paul set forth the grounds for the unity of the Spirit: “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” The seven “one’s” of this passage are non-negotiable. There must be agreement in these seven areas in order for believers to have the unity of the Spirit. Unity that is achieved by compromising one or more of these areas is not the kind of unity that pleases the Lord.

Among the seven “one’s” is the “one body.” As we have already pointed out, the church is the body of saved people (Ephesians 1:22-23). So again, the Bible shows that in the first century there was only one church.

Another of these “one’s” is the “one faith.” The word “faith” is used in the New Testament as both a verb and a noun. As a verb, it is the act of believing. As a noun, it is that which is believed. It is used in this passage as a noun, signifying the body of doctrine that is to be believed and accepted by Christians. Denominationalism unashamedly admits to having different faiths. There is a Catholic faith (doctrine), a Baptist faith (doctrine), a Methodist faith (doctrine), a Pentecostal faith (doctrine), etc. This was not the case in the first century. Paul said that he preached the same thing in every church. “For this reason I have sent Timothy to you, who is my beloved and faithful son in the Lord, who will remind you of my ways in Christ, as I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17). Paul could not do that today. Churches in every community have different teachings on significant subjects like baptism, the Lord’s Supper, women preachers, speaking in tongues, the Godhead, the authority of traditions, prayer, the rapture and the thousand year reign of Christ. Paul could not speak the same thing in every church today because no one can.

In short, there is no Scriptural ground for doctrinal division among believers. The Bible tells us what to do with those with whom we have doctrinal differences:

“Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds” (2 John 9-11).

“If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness… From such withdraw yourself” (1 Timothy 6:3, 5).

“Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them” (Romans 16:17).

“But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8-9).

We are not allowed to maintain unity and fellowship with those who remain in error. Those who deviate in doctrine have caused division. We cannot overlook one’s doctrinal differences without partaking in his evil deeds. We are not to receive them, withdraw ourselves from them, mark and avoid them because they are accursed. This being the case, we have no grounds upon which to encourage others to go and become a part of them.

We can not agree with the appeal to “attend the church of your choice.” This view may fly in the face of the ecumenical spirit of modern day denominationalism, but it is our conviction that the church that Jesus built in the first century is the only church that the Lord will recognize as His own today. This church can not be found by tracing history, or by a majority vote (i.e., the church with the largest membership), but rather by looking at the pattern of the church that is set forth in the New Testament. Denominations divide believers by subscribing to creeds, councils, catechisms, and conventions. We simply try to follow the teachings of the Bible alone. Until we can find different kinds of churches in the Bible we can not encourage men to attend the church of their choice.

[Aces_Full]

So which form of Christianity is the correct one jv_coach or comesneilfan???  I am sure Jehovah's Witness believe as firmly in their views, as Mormons or Southern Baptist's believe in their particular versions.  

Which is no different than a Jew or Muslim's faith in their form of religion.  They more than likely grew up that way, or were around that particular religion, and thus formed their beliefs in their savior.  

[Whoa]

 I think comesneilfan is confused in that you don't have to be born again to go to heaven --Ask the Pope, Mother Tereasa, the Rogers brothers from Beaumont etc...Buts that's the great thing about the Bible - it is nothing more that a text book like any book

 

PAPER and PRINT choose to believe what is for you.

[RETIREDFAN1]

59 minutes ago, Aces_Full said:

So which form of Christianity is the correct one jv_coach or comesneilfan???  I am sure Jehovah's Witness believe as firmly in their views, as Mormons or Southern Baptist's believe in their particular versions.  

Which is no different than a Jew or Muslim's faith in their form of religion.  They more than likely grew up that way, or were around that particular religion, and thus formed their beliefs in their savior.  

If you can't prove your beliefs through the proper use of Scripture, then your religious beliefs are NOT in line with the Word of God and you are following falsehood......

[RETIREDFAN1]

50 minutes ago, Whoa said:

 I think comesneilfan is confused in that you don't have to be born again to go to heaven --Ask the Pope, Mother Tereasa, the Rogers brothers from Beaumont etc...Buts that's the great thing about the Bible - it is nothing more that a text book like any book

 

PAPER and PRINT choose to believe what is for you.

If you  believe that the Bible is just another book, and not the Word of God, you have no hope anyway..........

[Whoa]

Why do think it is anything more?

'Is it not paper and print?

Why do you think it is more that other religions "book"?

Just curious is the book/beliefs Catholics and Jews believe in different that you believing yours Is right????

[RETIREDFAN1]

16 minutes ago, Whoa said:

Why do think it is anything more?

'Is it not paper and print?

Why do you think it is more that other religions "book"?

Just curious is the book/beliefs Catholics and Jews believe in different that you believing yours Is right????

Last time I checked, the Catholics and Jews believed that The Bible is the Word of God, too........

 

[5GallonBucket]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2016 at 8:33 AM, Aces_Full said:

What denomination of Christianity do you believe to be the truth?  Catholicism, Baptism, Methodist, Lutheran, Protestant, Anglican, Church of Christ, Jehovah's Witness, Eastern Orthodox, Mennonite, or Non-Denominational (sorry if I left some out)?  

Because Catholics don't necessarily believe in the same teachings and rituals as Jehovah's witness, etc.  

Denomination s are man made.....

[5GallonBucket]

16 hours ago, Colmesneilfan1 said:

Last time I checked, the Catholics and Jews believed that The Bible is the Word of God, too........

 

Rev 22:18-19.

 

[5GallonBucket]

18 hours ago, Aces_Full said:

So which form of Christianity is the correct one jv_coach or comesneilfan???  I am sure Jehovah's Witness believe as firmly in their views, as Mormons or Southern Baptist's believe in their particular versions.  

Which is no different than a Jew or Muslim's faith in their form of religion.  They more than likely grew up that way, or were around that particular religion, and thus formed their beliefs in their savior.  

and that is a major problem....many people follow what they were raised on and take man's words for truth instead of reading and educating themselves in what the BIBLE says.

[5GallonBucket]

I ve studied the roots of several religions Cath, Baptist, Methodist, Mormons, etc. Right now I am 5 weeks in on learning about the Quran, Muhammad, and its roots. 

ALL STARTED BY MAN.

[5GallonBucket]

Many religions believe the Bible is the Word of GOD......but that doesn't mean they follow it correctly in there practices, or add to it, or take away.

the only head of the Church is God. no man is the head.  

Read the Book of PETER

 His plan calls for local congregations to be overseen by qualified
   men, known as "elders", and whose responsibilities were to "shepherd
   the flock of God"

Keyword there is local for you denominational folks.
 

[Aces_Full]

Every religious group is just as strong in their beliefs as you are Comesneil.  If you sat down in a room with an Orthodox Jew, or an Omish person, they would argue their version of the Bible is the correct one.  And I think it is wrong, and can't be scientifically proven, to say that one version is more right than another.  

 

 

[5GallonBucket]

12 minutes ago, Aces_Full said:

Every religious group is just as strong in their beliefs as you are Comesneil.  If you sat down in a room with an Orthodox Jew, or an Omish person, they would argue their version of the Bible is the correct one.  And I think it is wrong, and can't be scientifically proven, to say that one version is more right than another.  

 

 

So are you saying truth and facts can be changed.