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Elisha

So they went on, and fifty of the prophets followed them to the Jordan. Elijah and Elisha stopped by the river, and the fifty prophets stood a short distance away. Then Elijah took off his cloak, rolled it up, and struck the water with it; the water divided, and he and Elisha crossed to the other side on dry ground.

(2 Kings 2:6b-8) Good news Translation

We (that’s me and the Holy spirit) aren’t the first person to conclude that water is a physical substance which allows God to manifest his glory. Elisha understood it too.

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By Their Occupation

Open Door Baptist Church

After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. ( Acts 18:1-3 )

  1. On Paul’s second missionary journey he worked to pay his way.

And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. ( 2 Corinthians 11:9 )

2. On Paul’s third missionary journey he was receiving support.

Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. ( Philippians 4:15 )

Philippi and Thessalonica are not far from each other.

For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen. ( Philippians 4:16-20 )

3. The often used quote

“But my God shall supply all your need”

Was to the Philippians who were supporting Paul’s ministry. It exists within the context that God will supply the need of people who are supporting the church. This is the reason why we step out in faith and support the church: so that God can supply our every need.

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Do We Blame God?

Danby House

In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly. ( Job 1:22 )

Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips. ( Job 2:9-10 )

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before. ( Job 42:10 )

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. ( James 5:16 )

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Water into Wine

On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

(John 2:1-11) ESV

The first act that God performed in the Genesis account of creation was nucleosynthesis. It would appear that the first recorded public miracle of Jesus was also nucleosynthesis, when Jesus turned water in to wine.

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Water

Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.

(Exodus 14:16) ESV

If you’ve ever studied biology, biochemistry or chemistry you may have noticed that practically all introductory textbooks in those subjects have a chapter on water at or near the beginning. It’s obligatory.

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What is Creation?

Bulldozer in a marble quarry

Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

(Isaiah 46:10) KJV

What is creation the verb, not creation the noun? The act of creation. Maybe we should say creating? Where does creating start? From nothing? Or is it the transformation of one form into another?

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The Wisdom Of Their Wise Men Shall Perish

Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.
Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter’s clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding? ( Isaiah 29:13-16 )

IF science is right
THEN there is no God.
THEREFORE there is no judgment for sin,
THEREFORE I can live an immoral life and have no guilt.
For some reason the logic doesn’t work.

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Science Falsely So Called

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen. {The first to Timothy was written from Laodicea, which is the chiefest city of Phrygia Pacatiana.} ( 1 Timothy 6:20-21 )

The theoretical foundation of modern science is a belief system, or paradigm, so ingrained in our collective consciousness that people believe that they don’t have to believe it, it just is.
Believing it is a choice.

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If Ye Forsake Him, He Will Forsake You.

Open Door Baptist Church

And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you.

And when Asa heard these words, and the prophecy of Oded the prophet, he took courage, and put away the abominable idols out of all the land of Judah and Benjamin, and out of the cities which he had taken from mount Ephraim, and renewed the altar of the LORD, that was before the porch of the LORD. ( 2 Chronicles 15:1-2, 8 )

This was the beginning of Azariah’s prophecy to Asa. Asa responded appropriately.

Asa was a good king.

And Asa did that which was good and right in the eyes of the LORD his God: For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves: And commanded Judah to seek the LORD God of their fathers, and to do the law and the commandment. Also he took away out of all the cities of Judah the high places and the images: and the kingdom was quiet before him. And he built fenced cities in Judah: for the land had rest, and he had no war in those years; because the LORD had given him rest. ( 2 Chronicles 14:2-6 )

Asa understood what happens when you forget, neglect or ignore God.

1. Does God forsake his people?

Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. ( Hebrews 13:5 )

So what are we talking about, if we can’t be forsaken, how can we be forsaken? Is this a contradiction? Is this an Old Testament/New Testament thing?

The OT word is עָזַב – aw-zab
– to leave, forsake, loose
– be remote, absent, depart,

The NT word is ἐγκαταλείπω – eng-kat-al-i’-po
– to leave behind, (in a good sense) let remain over or (in a bad sense) desert
– properly, left in a condition of lack (“without”); hence, to feel forsaken (helpless), like left in dire circumstances.

No. The words have the same meaning. The difference is in understanding nuance. It’s an eternal security thing. We can see it laid out in the passages which describe the partaking of the Lord’s Supper

Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. ( 1 Corinthians 11:27-32 )

2. We cannot be forsaken

We cannot be forsaken because we cannot loose our salvation.

That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none. ( John 18:9 )

So what is the forsaking that we are talking about?

3. This is about what we do with our salvation.

The forsaking here is loosing the blessing of God on our lives and our life’s work.

According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. ( 1 Corinthians 3:10-14 )

This is about living right in order to receive the full blessings of God. Being saved is the beginning, not the end.

See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. ( Ephesians 5:15-17 )

Yes, we are saved. Yes, we have everlasting life. Yes, we are still accountable to live right while we are here on the earth.

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Truth Is Light, Darkness Is Evil

And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. ( John 3:19-21 )

IF scientific “ truths ” are arbitrary data points placed strategically to establish the scientific narrative of godless existence,
BUT the universe exists because God created it,
THEN science is not truth.