Looking for brothers and sisters in Jesus

It’s one thing if faith comes through a sudden movement of the Holy Spirit—there’s nothing you can do about that, and that’s genuine belief. But if this "faith" is just a mental calculation—a choice made because you're hitting rock bottom and you're desperately hoping for some divine bailout—then yeah, it can be shaken by less than thirty bucks. That isn't faith; it's just a desperate attempt at a transaction... a hustle.

And those testimonies of yours? They're nothing more than cheap theatrics from people who would ditch their convictions in a heartbeat for a glass of water if they'd been fed enough scraps beforehand.

Every serial killer and monster has had a "spiritual awakening" while sitting on death row...
it's a tired cliché.

Paul Rogers94 said:It’s one thing if faith comes through a sudden movement of the Holy Spirit—there’s nothing you can do about that, and that’s genuine belief. But if this "faith" is just a mental calculation—a choice made because you're hitting rock bottom and you're desperately hoping for some divine bailout—then yeah, it can be shaken by less than thirty bucks. That isn't faith; it's just a desperate attempt at a transaction... a hustle.

And those testimonies of yours? They're nothing more than cheap theatrics from people who would ditch their convictions in a heartbeat for a glass of water if they'd been fed enough scraps beforehand.

Every serial killer and monster has had a "spiritual awakening" while sitting on death row...
it's a tired cliché.

Did you even bother watching the testimony I attached?

frozengull2 said:Did you even bother watching the testimony I attached?

Get real for once... 🤣

frozengull2 said:Did you even bother watching the testimony I attached?

It’s always just nice to hear or read something positive and uplifting. 🙂

frozengull2 said:Jesus taught us that’s just not how it works!
Think about it—thousands of saints throughout history over the last 2,000 years have proven the exact opposite.
And honestly, my own experience being led by the Holy Spirit? Same story.
Check out this testimony (it's a real-life account) I attached... it's actually worth your time.

If I'm reading you right, you're basically saying God's Grace doesn't exist... that there's no power to wash away sins or pull someone out of the gutter (correct me if I'm wrong here)... and instead, we're just stuck with these cold, hard laws of cause and effect that crush everything in their path (like Karma or whatever)?!?
Hmm....

So, looking at all this, who are we supposed to trust?

You... or Christ and the Holy Spirit... and everyone else whose entire lives were completely transformed by Him?

Do you have his email?

frozengull2 said:Jesus taught us that’s just not how it works!
Think about it—thousands of saints throughout history over the last 2,000 years have proven the exact opposite.
And honestly, my own experience being led by the Holy Spirit? Same story.
Check out this testimony (it's a real-life account) I attached... it's actually worth your time.

If I'm reading you right, you're basically saying God's Grace doesn't exist... that there's no power to wash away sins or pull someone out of the gutter (correct me if I'm wrong here)... and instead, we're just stuck with these cold, hard laws of cause and effect that crush everything in their path (like Karma or whatever)?!?
Hmm....

So, looking at all this, who are we supposed to trust?

You... or Christ and the Holy Spirit... and everyone else whose entire lives were completely transformed by Him?

I only just finished reading the rest of it.
Look, I'm not suggesting anything. It's just that you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

Look, obviously we have zero clue when Jesus and his Holy Spirit decide to take the wheel.

The hardest part is just trying to shake off those dark thoughts and the paranoia—that total sense of hopelessness you get living in this broken world.

But because Jesus Christ is alive, our minds can actually handle the weight of it all, simply because He’s there.

I don't have to pull any stunts, achieve something massive, buy anything specific, or even be perfect just to be accepted.

I'm not out here attacking anyone, but when you're reborn, the Holy Spirit basically performs an intervention on your old self—it puts to rest that version of you that's stumbling through life hooked on substances, chasing cheap thrills, and treating sin and useless habits like they're nothing. We wouldn't want that rot in us.

Since nobody knows when death is gonna knock or when the Lord of lords, Jesus, is calling, the last thing you want is to spend eternity facing judgment after floating through nothingness. Honestly, waking up gasping for air because you had a nightmare from eating too much? That's pure horror.

I just really wish you would find salvation.

Drew Moore5 said:I only just finished reading the rest of it.
Look, I'm not suggesting anything. It's just that you clearly have no idea what you're talking about.

So, what's even the point of this post? Like, what's actually driving you through life? Nobody's forcing you to do anything—you don't have to read this, comment, or care about stuff that doesn't interest you. So why all the insults and negativity? Honestly, it feels like a few of you only show up to these spiritual discussions just to be jerks. Just be a decent human being and say something meaningful. If you don't have anything kind to contribute, maybe it's better to just stay quiet.

People of faith usually find common ground. They share their stories, talk about God, love, and peace, and actually help one another out.

Ethan Hill said:So, what's even the point of this post? Like, what's actually driving you through life? Nobody's forcing you to do anything—you don't have to read this, comment, or care about stuff that doesn't interest you. So why all the insults and negativity? Honestly, it feels like a few of you only show up to these spiritual discussions just to be jerks. Just be a decent human being and say something meaningful. If you don't have anything kind to contribute, maybe it's better to just stay quiet.

People of faith usually find common ground. They share their stories, talk about God, love, and peace, and actually help one another out.

Look, she claimed in her own post that I was implying something, but that isn't true. My post wasn't suggesting anything of the sort, nor was I mentioning any of the things she thinks I am.

It’s honestly a bit sad when people view the church as some kind of spiritual entity. In reality, it isn't—it's just a secular organization. That’s the absolute bare minimum you need to grasp. Sure, there are rituals intended to serve as a bridge to the spiritual realm, but at the end of the day, those rituals are being performed by mere mortals on Earth. Just because an organization decides to declare someone a saint doesn't actually change anything about who they are.

Cyril of Alexandria is considered a saint by both Catholic and Orthodox traditions. He was the guy behind the Parabalani—a group of zealots. It was actually those fanatics who killed Hypatia in Alexandria; they stripped her naked and tore her apart right there in the street. I’m not saying he gave the direct order, but...
of course, he held the title of "Bishop" of Alexandria, and through some strange twist of fate, his uncle Clement held the position before him.

Drew Moore5 said:Cyril of Alexandria is considered a saint by both Catholic and Orthodox traditions. He was the guy behind the Parabalani—a group of zealots. It was actually those fanatics who killed Hypatia in Alexandria; they stripped her naked and tore her apart right there in the street. I’m not saying he gave the direct order, but...
of course, he held the title of "Bishop" of Alexandria, and through some strange twist of fate, his uncle Clement held the position before him.

To suggest this is something exclusive to the Catholic Church is a mistake; other denominations deal with the exact same issues. Look at how Buddhists search for the next Dalai Lama's reincarnation—it almost always turns out the child comes from a specific, predetermined bloodline...

Being born again means actually seeing the Kingdom of God because, through Christ's grace, you're suddenly looking at things "from above."

And boom—suddenly there’s no such thing as an annulment just for paying a fee, and every new marriage becomes adultery. Like, the absolute worst kind of sin. He is alive, He is the Way, and frankly, you should be pretty grateful for His mercy keeping you from being tossed straight into hell.

A joke? A fairy tale?

Not really. He basically tells you you'd rather gouge your eye out and walk through life one-eyed (eternally) than deal with whatever is causing you to stumble, rather than face hell. Still not getting it? Here's someone who gets your whole "vision" problem perfectly fine, sending a special message via the Word (Jesus) just for you, saying, "Hold on until the end, I'm praying for you."

Where are those two in His name? He is? The Word made flesh?

What now? Maybe a Jumbo Pepperoni from Pizza Hut will fix everything.

Sure, committing a mortal sin to temporarily fix your eyesight works great. Then His grace comes because you actually want it, and suddenly that $20 Jumbo Pizza you can't afford and your vision problems vanish—because you were carried away by the hand of the One you ignored while reading the Word on a Saturday, effectively shutting yourself off from a world that wants to drag you into a debt-ridden hell of eternal separation from Him.

You're healed.

You’re keeping the Sabbath because you’re actually living out the Law—not just because you read the Fourth Commandment, but because He lives inside you and works through you, step by step...

Imagine the best possible thing ever sliding into your DMs, someone filming a public video just to help you out. And you've got the Lord Jesus on your side, so you actually manage to power through reading everything until midnight.
Using a Domino's pizza to fuel an unbreakable life; seriously, a double death trap like that never happened again...

And honestly, it really didn't.

Seek and you shall find; keep typing and the door swings wide open.

And yeah, any religion claiming you can get an annulment just by paying a fee is a total scam.
Because Christ clearly said it doesn't exist!
Plus, those people who paid the fee to get an annulment and now act like their entire lives have been transformed? They're playing with fire.

Alexander Kern58 said:Look, obviously we have zero clue when Jesus and his Holy Spirit decide to take the wheel.

The hardest part is just trying to shake off those dark thoughts and the paranoia—that total sense of hopelessness you get living in this broken world.

But because Jesus Christ is alive, our minds can actually handle the weight of it all, simply because He’s there.

I don't have to pull any stunts, achieve something massive, buy anything specific, or even be perfect just to be accepted.

I'm not out here attacking anyone, but when you're reborn, the Holy Spirit basically performs an intervention on your old self—it puts to rest that version of you that's stumbling through life hooked on substances, chasing cheap thrills, and treating sin and useless habits like they're nothing. We wouldn't want that rot in us.

Since nobody knows when death is gonna knock or when the Lord of lords, Jesus, is calling, the last thing you want is to spend eternity facing judgment after floating through nothingness. Honestly, waking up gasping for air because you had a nightmare from eating too much? That's pure horror.

I just really wish you would find salvation.

Jesus washes our feet; he serves us. Is he a servant or a manager?
Jesus grants us free will. He gives us life. He is a Giver, not a manager.
Jesus gives himself. Jesus does not demand. He is a Giver, not a seeker.
Furthermore, I believe that if someone feels they are being managed or sought after instead of me, it is merely a reflection of their own faith—or rather, their lack thereof.

The Holy Spirit does not condemn. He provides the judge for my own internal court based on my own faith.
The Holy Spirit burns the chaff with eternal flame and gathers the wheat into the barn.
The Holy Spirit glorifies. Everything follows one's own faith.

Jesus is alive.
He is not "coming."
Jesus is!
Death is transient; death belongs to this world. We do not.

There is no departing into eternity.
Eternity is now (there is no before or after eternity).
Eternity is timeless.
Eternity is existence.
Eternity is life.
Eternity is love.

Salvation lies in one's own faith. 😉
If you save yourself, you have saved us.
Because whatever you do for yourself, you do for us.
Do unto others as you do unto yourself.
We are absolutely all one body, even if the relative world makes it seem otherwise. It is not separate. The illusion of separation and the illusion that we have nothing to do with one another is merely an illusion created by perceived need.
But that illusion is easily recognized by looking at the log in one's own eye. 😉

Alexander Kern58 said:Being born again means actually seeing the Kingdom of God because, through Christ's grace, you're suddenly looking at things "from above."

And boom—suddenly there’s no such thing as an annulment just for paying a fee, and every new marriage becomes adultery. Like, the absolute worst kind of sin. He is alive, He is the Way, and frankly, you should be pretty grateful for His mercy keeping you from being tossed straight into hell.

A joke? A fairy tale?

Not really. He basically tells you you'd rather gouge your eye out and walk through life one-eyed (eternally) than deal with whatever is causing you to stumble, rather than face hell. Still not getting it? Here's someone who gets your whole "vision" problem perfectly fine, sending a special message via the Word (Jesus) just for you, saying, "Hold on until the end, I'm praying for you."

Where are those two in His name? He is? The Word made flesh?

What now? Maybe a Jumbo Pepperoni from Pizza Hut will fix everything.

Sure, committing a mortal sin to temporarily fix your eyesight works great. Then His grace comes because you actually want it, and suddenly that $20 Jumbo Pizza you can't afford and your vision problems vanish—because you were carried away by the hand of the One you ignored while reading the Word on a Saturday, effectively shutting yourself off from a world that wants to drag you into a debt-ridden hell of eternal separation from Him.

You're healed.

I know that both my eyes are part of the same body. They are part of me.
And every limb of mine is part of me.
If I injure an eye or a hand, the other hand does not condemn the injured one. It does not complain. Instead, it works even harder in place of the injured limb.
Every hand knows it is part of the same body.

Do you believe that your neighbor is another part of the same body?
Do you believe we are all part of one body?
Do you believe that my enemy—your enemy, our enemy—is part of the same Body as all of us?

That is true faith: when we do not complain, do not judge, do not cut others off, and do not gouge them out. When we help another as if we were helping ourselves. As if we were helping ourselves.
That is creating in love, without the logic of this passing world.

No resistance. Just accepting the other and the different.
By loving through acceptance, I glorify God through my own faith.🎉

And boom, here come the heavy hitters to bury my posts.

Alexander Kern58 said:Look, obviously we have zero clue when Jesus and his Holy Spirit decide to take the wheel.

The hardest part is just trying to shake off those dark thoughts and the paranoia—that total sense of hopelessness you get living in this broken world.

But because Jesus Christ is alive, our minds can actually handle the weight of it all, simply because He’s there.

I don't have to pull any stunts, achieve something massive, buy anything specific, or even be perfect just to be accepted.

I'm not out here attacking anyone, but when you're reborn, the Holy Spirit basically performs an intervention on your old self—it puts to rest that version of you that's stumbling through life hooked on substances, chasing cheap thrills, and treating sin and useless habits like they're nothing. We wouldn't want that rot in us.

Since nobody knows when death is gonna knock or when the Lord of lords, Jesus, is calling, the last thing you want is to spend eternity facing judgment after floating through nothingness. Honestly, waking up gasping for air because you had a nightmare from eating too much? That's pure horror.

I just really wish you would find salvation.

Well, everything listed there sounds perfectly fine—if only people actually did what you're saying they should do out of love for God and their fellow man, rather than doing it as a calculation or out of fear of what might happen if they didn't.

The moment you start worrying about the consequences, love is no longer present. It becomes mere math.
Jesus isn't looking for obligation; He wants love. And that is perhaps the hardest thing to achieve—to actually feel it in one's soul. That is the true calling. That’s why it is so wonderful to witness someone dedicated to this path purely out of heart-felt joy and love for others. You can really sense it. It is those specific people—those who advocate for God's "laws" with peace, tranquility, and love—who radiate most beautifully and best attract other believers toward the true faith and the true God.

Admittedly, sometimes love does emerge from obligation, so it isn't necessarily a bad thing. 👍

Spiritual love isn't the same thing as earthly affection.
They’re just in love with their own image rather than Jesus—it's nothing more than pure egoism and materialism.
Honestly, they don't even grasp who Jesus Christ is. They never mention Christ; they only ever talk about Jesus.

It’s my faith in Jesus Christ that pulls me through, not just some vague, misplaced idea of "faith" in general.

I live by His word. Plain and simple. And anyone who actually follows it, they're heading straight to Him.

But if you aren't living it? You're just another lawbreaker, someone Christ won't even recognize.

Look, it isn't easy, but I'd much rather take the narrow path and be safe than go any other way.

So, has anyone else here been baptized (like my brother was)?