The Spiritual Workouts God Intends For Us Chris

Now, I’m not saying that using Bible tracts to evangelize is totally fruitless. I’m sure there are more cases than I know where one of these has led a person to the Savior. They do contain very vital information, present the Gospel in a concise manner and they offer an easy way to share the Good News. The problem is, in most cases, people are just not interested.

They look at the cover, see it’s something that looks “religious,” and without giving it a second thought, toss it away. Some do this because they think they already know who God is, what “Christianity” is all about and believe they’re “good” with God…but they have no interest in pursuing what they perceive as “religion” or learning anything more than they think they already know.

People also have extremely short attention spans, and Bible tracts often contain a lot of information in very small type font, packed into a very small booklet. And while these same people will spend countless hours scrolling through nonsense on social media, all those words in tiny print look intimidating. People know they’d have to take time to read that “fine print,” and they’re just not interested…any more than they’re interested in political fliers or other junk mail that comes in their mailbox. //

So how do we reach the lost? The most effective way, obviously, is having a deep, meaningful one-on-one conversation with someone who’s not only willing to listen, but also engage in discussion, ask questions, be open about what you’re sharing and then, by God’s grace, develop a craving for the truth and the many revelations His Book contains…we want them to want to study God’s Word for themselves.

But situations and opportunities like this are rare. If ever you’re blessed to have such an divine appointment, don’t waste it. “…and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you…”

Still, the printed word holds great power. When presented in an appealing way, the printed word can literally change hearts, minds and lives. Unlike digital things that are constantly changing; here today and gone tomorrow, the printed word is printed, tangible and not going away.

‘For this really to stick, it is not emotion that’s going to win the day. It’s the message of the gospel, which will not change.’ //

“What has to change is our response to the gospel. We have to bow the knee to God as our Creator, and we have to bow the knee to God as our Redeemer. We have to say, ‘I want lasting change in my life. I’m no longer autonomous. Jesus is the Lord of my life. He’s my Savior.’ That will change culture.” //

“If this generation is going to come to understand Jesus Christ as proclaimed in Scripture, a lot of questions are going to have to be answered, and they need to have a safe place to ask those questions,” Rasmussen told The Federalist. “It takes a while to get through those questions, but that’s what discipleship is.”

anon-9s7n
19 hours ago
God has given her everything she needs for today. And by the time tomorrow is here, she’ll have everything she needs for tomorrow. And when she’s able to look ahead more than one day at a time, he’ll have prepared the way with everything she needs for then.

We are seeing a significant transition begin. Not just in the US, but around the world. Charlie talked a lot about how young men should follow Jesus, get married, become fathers, and lead their families. God couldn’t start with young women. He needed the young men to have an opportunity to get squared away.

But what if His plan is that now He will use Erika to reach the young women in a way Charlie couldn’t? They really need it. They are being deceived by feminism and so many other voices.

And if that is His plan, then she’s got this, because He’s got her.

I want you all to know, while Charlie died far too early, he was also ready to die. There was nothing - nothing - he was putting off. There was nothing that was too hard or too painful, nothing that he just felt like he didn't want to do it. He left this world without regrets. He did 100 percent of what he could every day.

But I want you to know something. Charlie died with incomplete work, but not with unfinished business. //

She shared that one secret to a strong marriage while Charlie was traveling so frequently was their tradition of love notes. Every Saturday, he wrote one for her, she said, "and he never missed a Saturday. And in every single one of them, he'd tell me what his highlight was for the week, how grateful he was for me & our babies. He’d always ended by asking the most beautiful question. He ended by asking, 'Please let me know how I can better serve you as a husband.'"

Perhaps the most famous "holy relic" is the Shroud of Turin, an old linen cloth that retains a distinct impression of the body of a crucified mine (both front and back). The legend is that Jesus himself was wrapped in the shroud upon his death around 30 CE, although modern scientific dating methods revealed the shroud is actually a medieval artifact dating to between 1260 and 1390 CE. A 3D designer named Cícero Moraes has created a 3D digital reconstruction to lend further credence to the case for the shroud being a medieval forgery, according to a paper published in the journal Archaeometry.

Moraes developed computer models to simulate draping a sheet on both a 3D human form and a bas-relief carving to test which version most closely matched the figure preserved in the shroud. He concluded that the latter was more consistent with the shroud's figure, meaning that it was likely created as an artistic representation or a medieval work of art. It was certainly never draped around an actual body. Most notable was the absence of the so-called "Agamemnon mask effect," in which a human face shrouded in fabric appears wider once flattened.

Rome carved borders in stone. Priests built walls from law and fear. Prophets thundered from mountaintops, hoping the ground would open.

But Jesus moved differently. He never staked a claim on land. He never petitioned for favor. He never drew a boundary he would not cross.

He spoke of a kingdom that cannot be mapped. A reign that begins between two heartbeats. A fire hidden under cold ash.

They wanted a king with banners and cavalry. He offered a seed pressed into dirt.

The authority of Scripture is a key issue for the Christian Church in this and every age. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly and faithfully obeying God’s written Word. To stray from Scripture in faith or conduct is disloyalty to our Master. Recognition of the total truth and trustworthiness of Holy Scripture is essential to a full grasp and adequate confession of its authority.

Our statement of faith, mission, and resources are grounded in the historical, conservative Christian faith.

1. We affirm the Bible to be the inspired, inerrant, and the only infallible and authoritative Word of God. We affirm the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy.

2. We affirm that there is one God, eternally existent in three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

3. We affirm the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His personal return in power and glory.

4. We affirm that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential.

5. We affirm the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.

6. We affirm the resurrection of both the saved and the lost: they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation.

7. We affirm the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Historian teams up with Chris Tomlin and Hillsong’s Ben Fielding to adapt rare music dating back to the third century. //

Early conversations between Dickson and Fielding eventually led to a collaboration with Grammy-winning worship artist Chris Tomlin, culminating in the production of a new worship song, “The First Hymn,” and a documentary about the discovery and study of the papyrus fragment containing the hymn.

In my work with legal historian Professor Mark David Hall, we’ve shown that despite a widespread misunderstanding of the role of Christianity in our founding and decades of bad Supreme Court rulings, such displays are constitutional — a lesson the ACLU and others who challenged the Louisiana law are likely to learn soon.

While the founders were uniformly opposed to government imposing religion, they did think religion, especially Christianity, was extremely important to the founding of the country. They understood that humans are created in the image of God and instilled with dignity. And if people have dignity, they must have rights to protect that dignity. This is the religious inspiration for the huge number of rights enumerated for all citizens at the founding of the republic.

The founders also believed that to ensure the success of the American experiment, people needed to use those rights responsibly. Put bluntly, they must be moral. George Washington said in his Farewell Address, “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports.” For a republican form of government to work, you must have a moral people, meaning a religious people.

What about Thomas Jefferson, you may ask? He is held up as the poster child for the strict separation of church and state, famously informing the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802 that the First Amendment created a “wall of separation between Church & State.”

The purpose of Jefferson’s letter was to reassure the Baptist congregation that the government wouldn’t interfere with their church, not that religion would have no place in the actions of government. He did not think the Constitution kept the government out of the business of religion altogether. For instance, as governor of Virginia, he invited his fellow Americans to join him in prayer. Jefferson also made the War Department and Treasury Department buildings available for church services. So, in his own political life, Jefferson didn’t act as if there were a wall of separation between church and state. //

Shortly after Gov. Jeff Landry signed the Louisiana law mandating displays of the Ten Commandments in classrooms, the American Civil Liberties Union sued. It claimed the Ten Commandments are not a source of American law and that having the displays would unconstitutionally expose some people to a religion they don’t believe in. A few months later, a federal judge ruled in the ACLU’s favor, and the state appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Professor Hall and I submitted an amicus brief in support of Louisiana with the appellate court.

Charles C. W. Cooke @charlescwcooke
·
The fact that this piece got through the Times's editorial process without anyone saying, "um . . . guys?" shows exactly why the press always seems so clueless about the country it is supposed to cover. https://x.com/mkhammer/status/1917386705264312688

Mary Katharine Ham @mkhammer
This is real. People wear crosses and the NYT is ON IT.
Last edited
9:49 AM · Apr 30, 2025 //

Tom Bevan, co-founder and CEO of RealClearPolitics, made an excellent point:

The author probably doesn't know a single person who wears one, which is why it's treated as a novelty.

Exactly. Why else would not only the author, but New York Times editors as well, think that the absurd article fell into the "all the news that's fit to print" category?

Finally, Charles C. Camosy, an associate professor of theological and social ethics at Fordham University, put the cherry atop the laughable sundae.

In certain bizarrely isolated contexts, public displays of religiosity (even something as common as cross necklaces) are so uncommon that they become successful pitches for New York Times stories.

There’s nothing Christian about Never Trumpers’ smear tactics against faithful believers. //

This year’s award for best use of shame-and-smear tactics, however, goes to French. Since the election, he has taken off the gloves. The Trump presidency is the result not of many constituencies that used to vote Democrat stitched together. No, this presidency and what French terms “chaos and cruelty” are the gifts of the white evangelical church, whom he calls to “repentance.”

What makes French’s arguments inflammatory is that he willfully ignores the failings of Democrats. French chastises the current administration for pardoning “their own thugs” but will not mention Biden pardoning his influence-peddling son or many others, apparently by autopen. America has failed to live up to its ideals, but when searching for an example, French retreats to Jim Crow and slavery. What about the left’s recent and glaring failures to live up to ideals, like selling the body parts of babies or saddling children’s futures with unnecessary school closings? The last four years hold a plethora of possibilities for failed American ideals.

When asked if he could find anything notable in Trump’s policies, French reluctantly cited a more controlled border. Nothing else good to see here. He lays the failures of this administration squarely at the feet of conservative Christians. But he takes no responsibility for the sins of the radical Democrat leaders he supported. French wraps his finger-pointing in compassion and Jesus language.

As a marriage therapist and a Christian, this sort of shaming, where one party must always be “the bad one,” is a bright red flag. This is the kiss of death in relationships, and it’s a deep disservice to the church.

It is also especially odd coming from Christians. Our theology insists all human nature is flawed and thus no one has a corner on goodness or truth. We see through a glass darkly until Jesus returns. It might be a good idea to cut each other some slack, clean up our own backyard, and work harder to “preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Since we are sitting in the same pews, and all that.

Are there any real and credible statistics supporting a menacing movement by Christians seeking to theocratize America with neo-Naziism? //

What fills the dark vacuum remaining when Christian culture is chased away? Look around you and see the bombardment of Western civilization once founded upon God’s Word and Christ’s church. God is the sovereign Lord of all human institutions and history, and faith in God’s providence has never justified a retreat from vocational obligations in the public sphere and the gifts of God of which we are called to be godly stewards.

Furthermore, Christians who criticize and discourage active Christian political participation indirectly embrace a national anti-Christian religion that unabashedly pursues the demise of the Kingdom of God and the gospel on earth. Which is a greater threat to church and society: the rhetorical phantom of Christian nationalism, or the real phenomenon of Christian apathy?

*A longer version of this article first appeared in the theology journal Gottesdienst.

This is an age-old Christian debate and the confusion is based on looking at one side of the problem to the exclusion of the other. However, before we begin, let us remind ourselves of a couple of simple NT teachings:

1. Salvation is the Initiative of God alone
2. God wants all people to be saved by grace
3. God's gracious Will
4. Many reject God's will and offer of Salvation
5. Christian Distractions from perseverance

[Internal citations omitted]

Summary/Conclusion

We are saved by grace alone, through Christ alone, by faith alone and this is the initiative of God alone by the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit. However some refuse to accept this and reject the faith granted to them (Rom 1:18-23) and so become lost. It is by continuing to believe and trust in God and the divine strength He imparts that a Christian perseveres.

Dr Jordan B Peterson @jordanbpeterson
To become better, you need to know who you are and what you stand for.

What role did religion play in Johnson’s life? Boswell tried to present him as a High Anglican Tory and Christians today of a conservative inclination today see Johnson as an antidote to what they consider to be the optimistic rationalism of some enlightenment thinking. //

Nicholas Hudson, in his book Samuel Johnson and Eighteenth Century Thought, sums this up:

Few writers were so knowledgeable or sociable to combine many sides of contemporary thought into an understanding of life distinctive for its humanity and good sense. His learning and complexity make his writings especially useful as the starting point for a broader investigation of eighteenth century thought. [18]

There's a very simple process here. "Is this person in the United States illegally?" If the answer is "No," fine. If the answer is "Yes," then back they go to where they came from.

Their faith, whatever it is, simply isn't a factor. //

Those are all fine, noble sentiments. But they are sentiments that have no place in law enforcement. And no Christians in the U.S. should be concerned that most of those who could be deported share their faith. What they should care about is that our immigration authorities are enforcing the law and not playing favorites. //

What the government does for anyone, it must do for everyone, or it must do for no one. //

anon-o9rf Bearsblow
4 hours ago
Five out of of five illegals are...

ILLEGAL !

Kick them out, all of them.
Now. //

Outerlimitsfan
5 hours ago edited
We shouldn't deprive their home countries the important missionary work they could be doing upon their return. //

RedinOR
5 hours ago
If they're such devout, religious people, why are they so comfortable breaking our laws?

You are absolutely correct, Ward. A criminal's particular faith does not change the fact that he/she broke our laws.

American Christians already live as functional atheists, oblivious to the spiritual realm. //

On August 17, 2009, Barack Obama appointed Francis Collins as the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Lauded as a hero of the faith because he professed belief in God while leading the Human Genome Project some years prior, Collins became a link between Christian institutions and the scientific establishment. As association with Collins meant a pastor couldn’t be accused of being some backward-thinking fundamentalist, Collins’s image became synonymous with a more nuanced, reasonable faith – perhaps even a faith that was academically robust.

A year after taking the helm of NIH, Collins reportedly believed that “it is not possible scientifically to settle precisely when life begins.” In fact, before taking over NIH, Collins had already praised eugenic abortions ( when one prenatally tests the baby to see if they’re “fit” or “unfit” and disposes of them if they aren’t up to scruff) as something people “in our current society… are in a circumstance of being able to take advantage of” and something “we have decided as a society… needs to be defended.” And shortly after his confirmation at NIH, Collins said that establishing a new human embryonic stem cell registry was one of his high priorities. If Collins was indeed Mephistopheles’ vessel, the demon wasted no time in devouring his favorite kind of child: very small ones. After all, there are no embryonic stem cells without dead babies. //

In 2006, three years before his appointment at NIH, Collins published his book, The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief, in which he explains how he found harmony between scientific and spiritual worldviews. However, what many Christians drooling over such a “respectable” and “nuanced” Christianity missed is that he defended research on preborn children, so long as they hadn’t been created expressly for such “research.” However his position on this also made space for pursuing scientific discoveries using “the sacrifice and destruction of ‘leftover’ human embryos from fertility clinics.” //

Humanized rats. Remains of unborn babies, purchased from Planned Parenthood and the like, had their scalps removed and subsequently attached to the heads of lab rats. As head of the NIH, not only did Collins approve this study and thus validate its objectives, but he also provided taxpayer funds to pay for it. //

Russell Moore, Rick Warren, Ed Stetzer, David French, Tim Keller (in his day), and the rest of Big Eva all have one thing in common with the “progressive” revolutionaries of today’s culture: the belief that God’s children are indeed for sale. They only differ on the price tag and form of payment. Like Lot, if provided with the right incentives, our theological betters will not hesitate to toss God’s children into the arms of the mob.

There’s a reason why Rick Warren is invited to Davos by the World Economic Forum every year but Pastor Jack Hibbs is not. There’s a reason why Russell Moore is CNN’s and MSNBC’s “phone a Christian” thinker and Voddie Baucham is not. There’s a reason why David French has a weekly op-ed in the New York Times and Eric Metaxas does not. There’s a reason why the New York Times would ask Tim Keller to submit articles, but not ask Pastor Douglas Wilson. Because the former are hirelings and the latter can’t be bought. //

Peskemom7:20p, 7/8/24
Hugh Hewitt- National radio talk show host in early Covid was respectful and deferential to both Fauci and Collins in his several interviews. Then Hugh realized the whole thing was a scam. I listened when he
Graciously but firmly confronted both of them in interviews and heard their shock- annoyance- refusal to consider they were wrong on anything. That hubris and pride alone was so revealing. I realized from then on Collins - whatever "Mr. Rogers/ Captain Kangaroo" demeanor he presents is a very evil man. And hiding behind a Christian facade is demonic. Your analysis is correct. //

Dr Bruce1:31p, 7/9/24

"If I profess, with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition, every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, then I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christianity. Where the battle rages, the loyalty of the soldier is proved; it is for the soldier to be steady on this particular battlefield. It is mere flight and disgrace to him if he flinches at that one crucial point." (E.R. Charles)

https://virtueonline.org/two-litmus-tests-christian-orthodoxy-moral-realm-culture-wars. //

Sweet Foot Slim7:38a, 7/17/24
In reply to Doc Chai
I believe you are totally wrong but what I believe doesn't matter. I do agree that I cannot condemn this (evil) person's immortal soul. That is way above my pay grade.

What I CAN and WILL condemn are his EVIL ACTS. The act of harvesting organs from a living baby, or in my opinion, a baby killed for the specific purpose of harvesting organs is PURE EVIL. Again, to put it into simple terms even a scientist(sic) can fathom, the ACT is evil. Whether I believe the man's soul will be damned is not my call nor not really my concern. If the Lord has mercy on my soul and I get to heaven and find him or Mengele or Hitler hanging with God I will not question my Lord. I don't believe it will happen but it is not my call. I will love my God.

But I WILL condemn with every ounce of my being the EVIL ACTS and the EVIL coverup. If this (who I believe to be evil) person is pure and Godly and full of the Holy Spirit let him shout from the rooftops about his projects of murdering babies and harvesting their organs. A clear indication this just might be pure evil is hiding from the light of truth.

And, yes, I am a knower of science, a trained physicist/mathematician. God gave us the gift of reason to do good for His children, not to murder babies.

As many Christians gather to celebrate Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten liturgical season, President Trump released the most overtly Christian message by any president on any subject in modern history.

This Ash Wednesday, we join in prayer with the tens of millions of American Catholics and other Christians beginning the holy season of Lent—a time of spiritual anticipation of the passion, death, and Resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

During the Lenten season, Christians spend 40 days and 40 nights praying, fasting, and giving alms to deepen our faith and strengthen our belief in the Gospel. Today, followers of Christ wear crosses of ash on their foreheads—a sacred reminder of our mortality and our enduring need for Christ’s infinite mercy and redeeming love.

As we solemnly contemplate Jesus Christ’s suffering and death on the cross this Lent, let us prepare our souls for the coming glory of the Easter miracle.

We offer you our best wishes for a prayerful and enriching Lenten season. May Almighty God bless you, and may He continue to bless the United States of America.

If this is Christian Nationalism, sign me up. //

The invocation of the name of Jesus Christ has become a rarity in public announcements by officials at any level. Taking Christianity out of the context of the gray, meaningless morass of "Jesus was a great teacher" and moralistic therapeutic deism and talking about the Passion, Death, and Resurrection is unheard of in modern political rhetoric. //

Cynical Optimist
3 hours ago
I would like to add how fabulous I thought it was last night when President Trump told the children in America that they were perfect the way God made them, that there was no child ever born in the wrong body.