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What is Calvinism?

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Calvinism, named after the 16th century Reformer John Calvin, is a word used for five biblical doctrines summarized in the acrostic TULIP. They include Total Depravity, Unconditional Election, Limited Atonement, Irresistible Grace, and Perseverance of the Saints. These are also called the Doctrines of Grace, biblical teaching which glorifies the sovereignty of God in salvation. In the 17th century, a pastor named Jacob Arminius preached a series of sermons that seemed to contradict the Belgic Confession, the statement of faith adopted by the church in the Netherlands. After Arminius died, his students wrote a letter to the Dutch government asking permission to preach Arminius's objections freely. This was called the Remonstrance, meaning protest. They summarized five doctrines from Arminius, such as: God chooses to give eternal life to those whom He knows beforehand will choose to believe in Jesus; Jesus died for everyone, but only those who believe are saved; Human beings are born...
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What is Worship?

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Romans 12:1-2 says, "I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." What is worship? Perhaps you have thought of worship as singing worship songs, or maybe going to church, reading your Bible, prayer—these are certainly ways we worship God. But true worship is loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). Earlier in Romans, Paul talked about those who worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator. But Jesus said, "You shall worship," meaning bow before, "the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve." God is merciful, forgiving your sins through faith in Jesus. He has offered Himself as an atoning sacrific...
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Did Jesus Say, "Blessed Are the Poor"? (Luke 6:20)

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In Matthew 5:3, Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Is that what Jesus said? Blessed are the poor? No, He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." But you probably hear it the other way more often than you hear it the right way. "Wwutt?! In Luke 6:20, Jesus said, 'Blessed are the poor!' and it does not say 'the poor in spirit!' So Jesus did say the poor are blessed by God." Take a closer look at that verse. Luke 6:20 says, "And He lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.'" Who is Jesus addressing? His disciples. Therefore, this means, "Blessed are the poor among my disciples. Though you may lack material things, you are rich in heavenly blessings." The Bible does not say everyone who is poor receives the kingdom of God. Do all the poor go to heaven? Below what income level? If you're saved by livi...
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Did Jesus Say "Blessed Are the Poor"? (Matthew 5:3)

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In Matthew 5:3, Jesus said, "Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Is that what Jesus said? Blessed are the poor? No, He said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit," but you probably hear it the other way more often than you hear it the right way. The poor in spirit are those who know they need God's help. To those who confess their spiritual bankruptcy to God, they will receive kingdom of God! So this is not about anyone who is poor. It's talking about a person who humbly acknowledges they need Jesus. At the start of the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:3-12 is a section referred to as the Beatitudes. These are the verses that begin, "Blessed are." Blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, and so on. Matthew was originally written in Greek, and the Greek word for "Blessed" is makarioi (mak-AR-ee-oy), which means "happy." This describes...
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How Black Lives Matter Divides Us?

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Black Lives Matter. Of course they do! But not to the Black Lives Matter movement. Black Lives Matter is rooted in cultural Marxism, in which people are divided by race, class, and gender into preferred minority groups. A person can gain power by claiming to represent these minority groups, and people submit to this power structure often without knowing. Emotions are manipulated with myths and assumptions—like systemic racism or cops are hunting black men or white people are more privileged or that race is even a thing at all! The goal is not unity. It's to keep people divided for power and money. Racial disparity is a multi-billion dollar industry. The founders of Black Lives Matter are pro-gay liberal feminists who support socialist Bernie Sanders and abortion giant Planned Parenthood. This is the agenda: the only black lives that matter are the ones that are politically beneficial. You don't hear about black police officers, nor those killed by black on black crime...
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Wife, Submit to Your Husband?

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Ephesians 5:22 says, "Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord." "Whoa! Time out!" the egalitarian interrupts. "The verse right before it says, 'Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.' And verse 25 says, "Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church." So a husband must submit, too! Well, the fact is... that's correct. "Wait, really?" Yes, really. A wife must submit to her husband, and a husband must also submit, but not to his wife. The instruction, "Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ," is followed by three contexts of submission: wives to husbands, children to parents, and slaves to masters. But the text reminds husbands, fathers, and masters—all of whom are men, by the way—that they have a Master they must submit to, and He is the Lord Christ. A wife submitting to her husband is to be a picture of the way the whole church submits to Christ. To submit ...
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What Will Happen to You When You Die?

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You are going to die. Yes, it is inevitable. Your life will come to an end. If there's one statistic that's true for everyone, it's one out of every one person dies. Then what? Well, your eternal soul will go to one of two places—to heaven or hell. "But what if I don't believe in such a thing?" That doesn't matter. You can say you don't believe in Mack Trucks, but if you stand in front of one bearing down on you at 80 miles per hour, it will kill you, no matter what you believe. Just as there is judgment in this lifetime, so there is a final judgment in the life to come. How can you know that on the day of your death, you will live forever with God in heaven and not perish under His wrath in hell? Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Jesus said, "Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who can destroy both body and soul in hell... Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also w...
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