Unfortunately, because of porn and lustful thoughts, I have developed an incestual fantasy. I will never act on this fantasy in my personal life, but the thought of it keeps it going to the point where I feel terrible afterwards, which makes me want to get help out of this mess! I apologize for being so repulsive.
Do you hand out booklets with full texts of Bible readings? Do you offer pew Bibles? Do people bring their own Bibles?Which denomination of the Baptist Church do you affiliate with?
The doctrine of original sin teaches that humanity came under the influence of sin through Adam, and as a result, human beings either inherited Adam’s sin or had their nature fundamentally corrupted. Likewise, justification by faith teaches that a person is justified before God not through works, but through faith. The church combined the doctrines of original sin and justification by faith to construct an integrated system of salvation. Because human nature itself is believed to be corrupted and imperfect, it is considered inevitable that people will continue committing sins to some degree throughout life. Consequently, a doctrine of salvation was developed in which merely confessing Jesus as Lord grants an immediate ticket to heaven, allowing one to board the train of righteousness accomplished by Jesus on the cross. In effect, this became a product even more advanced than the indulgences sold by the medieval church.
From the perspective of political stability and system maintenance, such a framework proved economical and efficient, which is why evangelical theology became dominant within Christianity. The explanation that human beings are totally depraved, incapable of performing righteousness on their own, and therefore must depend entirely on Christ’s substitutionary atonement on the cross for salvation was something most denominations could affirm without much difficulty. By adding the qualification that believers should nevertheless strive to live holy lives even though their entrance into heaven is already secured, the system could also defend itself against moral criticism.
However, this way of thinking itself arose because people, being of the world, distorted God’s word. God clearly said that He shows no partiality and repays each person according to their deeds. Yet people who have departed from God do not understand sin itself as separation from God; instead, they treat it as an unavoidable loss. In other words, because righteousness is viewed in this world as something accumulated like wealth, people assume that if they have done many righteous acts, committing one or two sins is not a serious problem. They regard it as merely a small loss from a large reserve of moral assets. The church, based on this understanding of sin, developed the doctrines of original sin and justification by faith in order to justify it.
But Jesus said that the world does not even know what sin is according to God the Father, and so He compared the forgiveness of sins to the cancellation of debt. The cancellation of debt refers not to part of it, but to all of it. In the same way, when a person abides in righteousness—that is, abides in God—former sins are remembered no more. Likewise, no matter how righteously a person may have lived, the moment one commits even a single sin, righteousness is gone, and death comes through that sin. This is what God means when He says that He repays according to one’s deeds. Excuses such as “I did my best” carry no weight.
The righteousness and sin of which God speaks are life and death. No matter how long a fish has lived in water, once it leaves the water, it will soon die. No matter how desperately a fish struggles and gasps outside the water, the moment it returns to the water, it lives again. But what does the world do? Those who have gained a reputation for doing many righteous deeds are praised as virtuous people, and people say that committing one or two minor sins was merely a mistake that can be overlooked. Those who have gained a reputation for committing many sins, however, are branded as hopeless sinners and prevented from escaping that label, even if they repent and try to live rightly. In this way, the world has separated life from righteousness and separated death from sin.
But the one who has died with Jesus on the cross, received eternal life, and been born again is at the same time righteous. Whoever repents and returns to God is cleansed completely, as though their former sins had never existed.
So I didn't really know how to tag this one, I'm working on a novel and there is a scene set in a baptist church in rural Georgia. Basically I need a reason for all the townspeople to be in a church at midnight (not Easter or a special holiday), and to have to drink the communion. For the first one I thought a night vigil might work, like maybe there has been a tragedy and all the people have gathered in the church to pray. I don't even know if that's realistic, but I can't come up with a reason for them to need to have the communion.
I hope this isn't offensive, any help is greatly appreciated!
PS: I'm not from the US and English isn't my first language so sorry for any mistakes in advance (:
While I was watching Young Sheldon, Missy Cooper was scolded by her mum and the reason for this was, she wanted to go to this school function which has dancing. Another episode shows a young version of Missy dancing in front of a band which she gets scolded by her Pastor, Pastor Jeff. I mean, I'm shocked because I was never raised to think that dancing is a sin. What I am getting from all of this is that probably the more Conservative type of Baptists believe in this but idk, it is just an assumption. Thoughts? Please tell em
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Even this cry rose from the cross. The Holy Bible
Beloved soul, you look upon the earth and see wounds everywhere: nations sharpening swords, the poor forgotten, hearts becoming cold, forests burned, seas poisoned, brother against brother. And you ask the ancient question that many prophets asked before you: “Lord, where are You?”
Listen carefully.
When God created the world, He looked upon it and said, “It is very good.” The rivers, the trees, the beasts of the field, and humanity itself were born from love, not from violence. But love without freedom is not love at all. So mankind was given freedom: the freedom to bless… and the freedom to wound.
A father may plant a vineyard with care, but if the workers become greedy, shall the father destroy the vineyard at once? No. He sends messengers. He calls them back. He waits. He warns. He weeps.
So too does God.
You ask why He allows evil. Yet every war begins first in a human heart. Every corruption begins when silver is loved more than truth. Every act of racism begins when a person forgets that the stranger also bears the image of God.
The poison spreading through the world is not proof that God is absent. It is proof that humanity keeps trying to live without Him.
But do not think Heaven is indifferent.
Christ entered this suffering world not as a distant king wrapped in comfort, but as a poor man, betrayed, mocked, tortured, and killed by political power, religious hypocrisy, and a violent crowd. He stood inside the very darkness you describe. And from the cross He said: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
This is the mystery: God does not answer evil merely with force. He answers it first with mercy, truth, and a call to repentance.
Yet judgment also exists. The Gospel says that whatever is hidden will one day be revealed. The mighty who crush others and believe themselves untouchable are like houses built upon sand. Storms come. Kingdoms fall. Empires become dust.
And still, amidst the darkness, light shines.
For every corrupt ruler, there is a hidden saint feeding the hungry.
For every voice preaching hatred, there is someone risking their life to protect another.
For every forest destroyed, there is a hand planting seeds whose shade it may never enjoy.
Do not let the noise of evil convince you that goodness is weak. A single candle can be seen from far away in the night.
You ask God why He allows this suffering. But perhaps Heaven also asks humanity:
“Why do you wound what I entrusted to you? Why do you hate your brother? Why do you destroy the garden I placed in your care?”
The answer to the world’s darkness is not despair. Despair is another chain. The answer is to become light.
As it is written: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.”
So feed the hungry. Defend the weak. Speak truth without hatred. Care for the earth as a sacred gift. Refuse the temptation to become cynical. Even in a wounded world, love remains a rebellion against darkness.
And remember this: the resurrection came after the crucifixion.
You heard me right, months ago I LOVED Bible readings and would even finish like 5 chapters a day. However, things turned around when I had a crush on somebody and another thing happened which is personal. Both of which led me to be far far away from God (Dw, I have no crush on that dude but it left me this scar) Honestly, I myself am struggling. If you think I am taking this softly then think again because you have NO CLUE how much I self insulted myself for not praying enough, thinking of God and bible readings. This was to a point where my guilt led me to not participate in this week's Lord's Supper in church (because I felt like I was not believing ENOUGH +guilt) and questioning myself about my faith. Also, I would always ask myself if I got myself baptized in the right time. I really really want to be closer to Christ. Question is, is this a situation of spiritual warfare? How do I improve? I know, I have to be consistent but it is a struggle. Real struggle. I need advice not an angry lecture. Thanks
So I'm apart of a small church in Texas with about 20 regular members and 30 on a big event. I want to start making Programs for the service. I want the to include Basic Info like:
I want to be able to fit 4 to a page and have info on front and back. We are kind of of low budget and i will be using my printer and paper to help the church.
Does anyone know of a free program where I can get a template and edit it to print it?
Hi as a baptist for many years I just encountered kind of preaching and it's kind of a cultural shock and I just wanna know if this is really how it is for other baptist churches. I've visited this church and the pastor stated that "God is Wrath" (Wrath is one of the seven deadly sins btw) and he said that every sin comes with a punishment which is true as consequences but it felt more like he was trying to threaten the members and scare them rather than teach them abt consequences and doing good. Just I notice it is fear based preaching. I also have issue with their focus on missions which i have no problem with but as being in the Philippines the members are not all rich yes they ask and don't force or beg but they EXPECT or IMPLY that you should with the reason that "according to the bible" to make them give money. Not all members are rich but there are many who have cars and can easily give such amount of money but for a middle class home it's actually a big expense (ik this since some elderly members give their entire pension for the church and have little to no money left for their homes). I'm not sure if it really is like this but their push onto missions when the members have no money. There are some members who are closest to the pastor and berate the members who give constructive criticism about the pastor as if the pastor is this perfect individual?? It's weird for me but I want to hear other people's thoughts. There is something I really wanna mention and in the English bible KJV it says "Jesus died FOR our sins..." but in this church they say "Jesus died BECAUSE of our sins" any thoughts on that?
I’m so sorry if this is the wrong place to ask, but I (48F) haven’t the foggiest idea as I’m not religious, but I went to church at least ~5-8 times a year as a kid and teen with my grandparents. None of my friends are religious, or at least not Baptist, so I can’t really ask them.
My neighbors who I’m decent friends with have announced that their kids (4M and 11M) are being baptized today and there is a barbecue to celebrate after (about 3 hours from the time I’m making this post). I totally understand that this is a big deal for them, and it’s super exciting.
My question is, do I bring a gift for each of the boys to the party? If so… what size and type of gift is appropriate? I do NOT feel comfortable gifting a bible (or really anything super religious), especially with me not being religious (they know I’m not), and definitely not wanting to attend their church. I do support the boys’ decision though, and I think it’s a huge important moment for them.
Hey everyone, I’m just looking for some perspective or maybe just to vent to some guys who have been where I am. I’ve been in the IFB world for 20+ years and even went to one of the big IFB colleges, but I’ve finally hit a wall. The pressure to perform is just hurting my family. We’re navigating a really dark season right now with some health issues and financial stress, and I’m just trying to keep my head above water.
I feel like I’m at a crossroads. We got a new pastor 5 years ago and since then, there’s this constant push from the pastor to do "extra" work and all this bragging from the pulpit about how busy our church is, like it’s a badge of honor. I’ve even found myself cringing at the pastors personal opinions when mentioned at the pulpit. Also, there’s the legalism that makes everything feel like a checklist. The busyness will be addressed later on in this post. On the other side, I’m just a husband and father trying to survive.
I’m only a volunteer, not paid staff, but I’m at capacity. I’m so burnt out that I find myself rolling my eyes during messages because I’m just done with the performance of it all. There’s so much more to it too, like the way things are actually run and the total miscommunication between staff and leaders. Recently, I was left alone to manage a major safety situation during a ministry event because none of the designated leaders or workers even showed up to their posts. The head admin was on vacation and had left clear instructions for them, yet they had the audacity to tell him later that everything went smoothly. It’s hard to stay bought-in when the leadership is just worried about looking good while the actual work is a mess and falling on people like me. The church is so busy, it misses out on the small things that makes life easier for members and visitors. It was a good thing I showed up to that area to check on things, otherwise it could have been worse. And that is just the surface of church management.
I have a couple friends in the area, but each of us are so busy and go to different churches. And since my closest friends from church moved away, I don't really have those meaningful bonds anymore, and I’ve definitely become bitter and lonely. My wife thinks I feel invisible because I don’t "nourish" friendships, but everything feels surface level and "happy happy happy." I honestly feel judged whenever I try to be real about how I’m actually doing.
I’ve already stepped away from a few ministries due to health and I feel like I'm being watched by people just waiting for me to fail because I’m not matching their pace while I’m already struggling. I’ve even started looking at other churches just to find somewhere where I’m not constantly pressured, but my wife wants to stay because she's afraid we won't be involved or serve anywhere else.
I was reading my Bible this week and happened to read that verse about God not quenching the smoking flax and man, it humbled me quick. It made me tear up and realize God sees me, even if I am burnt out. I realized I do still have a fire for God, it’s just a small smolder right now. I want to please Him, provide for my family, and raise my kids the right way, but I’m just tired. I guess I’m ready to deconstruct and just disengage from the whole system. I just want to leave the performance behind and find something real and focus on raising my family.
Has anyone else dealt with this kind of burnout? As a Christian dad, how do you create new friendships with other dads when you are so busy with your career? How do you stop caring more about what people see than what God sees when you're already feeling this low? Am I too cynical? Am I overthinking? I am just tired and sick. Literally sick.
I was really inspired by reading Luther’s argument that the burning of heretics is against the will of the Spirit, which I consider to be the greatest moment of the whole reformation when Pope Leo denounces that view.
But now I would like to pose the question back to Luther (or Protestants as a whole): is it the will of the Spirit for there to be Protestants, not in the temporary as a resistance movement against Papal abuses, but in the permanent? I’m not simply asking whether the Reformation was justified, but whether the grand schism and the dozens of schism of schisms following it is grievous to God?
Appealing to Scripture, it was Christ Himself that prayed “That they may be One, as We are One.” Not once but twice in John 17 (Our God! How great is our God!) And “Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven”. So that same will for the Church in Heaven is the will of the Spirit on earth, and that will is that we be One even as Christ is one — that is, one in perfect unity and will, which seems to mean a unified body.
This line of thinking has directly led me to inquiry into the Orthodox Church, because if this is against the will of the Spirit, certainly that means every Protestant everywhere has an obligation to recommune with the apostolic traditions and be members of one body. This is evident in that anything against the will of the Spirit is influenced by demons and is to be rejected at all costs.
And yes, because Protestants broke apart from the One Catholic Church it is clear they would be called to recommune rather than vice versa.
Hello! So, this is a bit of a strange situation. For background, I was raised Baptist in a very heavily Baptist community down in the south. I've struggled with my faith a lot over the years and was agnostic for a good while. But I've been leaning back towards Christianity for a while now.
My church does VBS every year, and now that I'm older I've wanted to help work in the nursery with my aunt. I tried to last year and cleared the background check and all, but I've never been baptized, so I wasn't allowed to because I "didn't belong to the church". I'm planning to go into Healthcare in the children's emergency room so I've wanted to get more used to working with children since it could help me, and because the church has been needing help.
I could get baptized and be able to help them, but the belief that you only get baptized when you're ready to accept God into your heart is deep rooted in me. So now I'm just wondering if I were to be Baptized now, and then later get back in touch with my faith more and feel truly ready, would I be able to get baptized again?
When an atheist says to not use the Bible to provide evidence for God, I point them towards the Kalam cosmological argument. It goes as follows:
Whatever begins to exist has a cause
The universe began to exist only 14 billion years ago.
Therefore, the universe has a cause.
Einstein believed that the universe was timeless, but his own calculations proved that wrong. Georges Lemaître developed the Big Bang Theory in the 1920s from Einstein's equations. Lemaître was a Catholic. The next problem is Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB). In the 1970s, some people proposed the steady state theory. The problem with Lambda-CDM is that it's choc-full of fine-tuning problems. Some atheists believe in cyclic models of the universe, but as calculations show, even a cyclical universe had to have a beginning. Plus the oscillating universe theory violates the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics in that entropy is always increasing. So it would be too cold to inhabit such a universe. It would also be physically impossible under general relativity. Especially since the expansion of the universe is speeding up, not slowing down. Plus we don't have enough matter in the universe to reverse an expansion. Earlier scientific theories believed that Black Holes emit no radiation, but Stephen Hawking disproved that when he discovered Hawking radiation. So over time, black holes will evaporate into space and that will cause a heat death, even if the universe continues to expand indefinitely (Hubble Constant). In the Past Hypothesis, the universe started in a low entropy state, which is so improbable that you don't have enough particles in the universe to write the exponent. So with all that being said, what are the chances that there is a God? Well, if you studied string theory, you would know that spacetime is not the highest dimension there is. There's 5D, 6D, 7D, 8D and so on. God would be the highest dimension in such a system. In order to explain the Big Bang, you would need another realm higher than spacetime (4D) to explain it. Because it's obvious even from a scientific standpoint that this universe is not all there is.
On other Christian subreddits this appears to be a common position and I don't know why that is. They use Greek isopsephy (a system of coincidence or resonance) as a way to "prove" that the man of lawlessness was actually Nero Caesar. This is wrong on so many counts. For one, he does not meet the Biblical description of the antichrist (1 John 2:18). Ireneaus in his book "Against Heresies" actually mentioned this:
>it is “more certain, and less hazardous, to await the fulfillment of the prophecy, than to be making surmises.”
He discussed gematria. What does the Bible say about this, however?
2 Timothy 2:18
18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.
This verse is referring to the heresy of Hymenaeus and Philetus. Many so-called "Christian influencers" like "A Messenger of Truth" push this heresy even now. Point is, tou can't just use loose allegorical interpretation of scripture combined with extrabiblical numerology to "prove" the man of lawlessness has already come. By the time Nero was around, Israel was already mostly under Roman control until the destruction of the second temple and the bar kokhba revolt.
In the Bible, "666" is a reference to 1 Kings 10:14 where King Solomon was given 666 talents of gold. "666" is a reference to wealth. In the King James Bible, the Mark of the Beast is said to be placed IN the forehead or right hand (like a microchip), but in later versions it was changed to "on" (like a tattoo). Funny thing is, not only can RFID technology be used to make cashless payments, but it can either be implanted in the skin or made into a peelable "tattoo" (see Bill Gates who's pushing for "smart tattoos" to replace traditional IoT). The antichrist, if he were alive today, could either be Donald Trump, Elon Musk or Jared Kushner. Point is, they didn't have this stuff back then.
He believes in soul sleep and no afterlife like the Jehovah's witnesses and Sadducees. So in other words, he denies that believing in Jesus gives you eternal life. Could you really even call this guy saved? He also denies the rapture, even though the church is not subject to God's wrath and it's also not called "the tribulation" that's just a catchall slang for it. Instead, it's called the time of JACOB'S trouble. It's punishment on Israel for unbelief. It's true that the Bible doesn't explicitly say "rapture" but there were several instances of believers being resurrected (like Enoch and Elijah). Why is this guy so popular again?
I'm watching Young Sheldon and in the Baptist church that's there, there's a IHS banner - I thought only the Catholics use those. Do you have IHS symbols in your churches or are the filmmakers wrong?
thx
My name is Trav, and for a long time I wondered why God made me different.
I was born with an intellectual developmental disability, and growing up, I often felt behind everyone else. In school, I was the quiet kid. I struggled socially, struggled with confidence, and honestly just wanted to fit in. A lot of times I felt unseen. I remember asking God questions like, “Why did You make me this way?” and “Do You even have a purpose for me?”
When I was nine years old, I lost my grandparents. That changed me deeply. They were people who made me feel safe, loved, and accepted. After they passed away, I carried a lot of loneliness and confusion. As I got older, I also struggled with feeling unwanted socially and romantically. I wanted connection so badly. I dreamed of becoming a husband and father someday, but there were moments where I honestly wondered if anyone would ever truly see me for who I am.
Even though I believed in God, there was a season where I felt unworthy of His attention. I thought maybe I was too broken, too different, or too weak to really be used by Him. But God kept pursuing me anyway.
One of the biggest turning points in my life came through John 9, where Jesus’ disciples asked Him why a man was born blind. They assumed someone had sinned. But Jesus answered:
“This happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” — John 9:3
That verse hit me hard. For the first time, I realized my disability was not proof that God forgot me. It was proof that God could still work through me. I stopped seeing myself as a mistake and started seeing myself as someone created with purpose.
Later in life, after heartbreak, loneliness, and emotional lows, I had a moment that changed my faith forever. I remember crying out to God, feeling exhausted and empty, and in that moment I had a vision of Jesus. I felt Him say:
“I have always been with you. You will be a light to many, and it will glorify Me.”
That moment changed everything for me.
Since then, God has opened doors I never imagined. I became involved in Young Life and started leading high school students. Me — the shy kid who used to feel invisible — now gets to speak life into others. I’ve shared my testimony with kids with disabilities, spoken about faith, and started projects like my podcast and my book, Different but Loved.
My story is not about having a perfect life. I still have struggles. I still battle insecurity and anxiety sometimes. But now I know Jesus walks with me through all of it.
What I’ve learned is this: God does not only use the strongest, smartest, coolest, or most popular people. Sometimes He uses the people the world overlooks so His glory shines even brighter.
If you feel different, forgotten, or broken, I want you to know something: your life has purpose. God sees you completely, and He can use your story in ways you cannot even imagine yet.
I used to ask, “Why did God make me different?”
Now I ask, “How can God use my difference to help others?” ✝️
Don't give me that "they believe in Jesus too" BS. Pentecostal Holiness and Wesleyan traditions teach that you can lose your salvation and that salvation itself is a no sinning contest. Apparently, they haven't read Romans 10:4. These "apostolic" traditions (as if they have authority to add to scripture) believe in gifts and tongues also. These ended with the apostles. Tongues are a placebo effect. You just speak nonsense and think you're saved. What did Jesus say about these people? Read Matthew 7:21-23 and John 6:40. Anybody from these charismatic traditions who trust in their works, Christ will tell them he NEVER knew them! Not "I used to know you" it's I NEVER knew you! Salvation is to believe that Christ died for your sins. The pentecost is over.
