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Faith is not free.

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Some time ago a Facebook friend contacted me. Hen had been a member for a few months, perhaps up to a year and was at the time of baptism very enthusiastic about taking the step and finally get baptized.

This message on Facebook, however, was anything but enthusiastic. Hen told me that the hen is no longer believed in the church. There was so much information on the Internet indicating that the Church was not true. Hen also felt uncomfortable as a member when the hen throughout its membership, both violated the law of chastity and the Word of Wisdom. When we become members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as graduates, we also promise not to have extramarital sex or make use of alcohol, tobacco, coffee or black / green tea.

Sure, it was sad that the hen had no more faith and had decided to leave the church. At the same time, I felt that hen never given any real chance throne. To be baptized into the Church is to take a step, just as it is a step to marriage. Anyone of us know that it does not automatically mean that a marriage will be happy just because you're married, you have to work on their relationship, too.

It is the same with being a member of the church. We can not delude ourselves that it is enough to join the Church and so everything flows on as well. No, it's not. A marriage is a relationship that must be built on. The same goes for the relationship we are with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father when we go down into the waters of baptism. We need to work on our relationship. Faith is not free. We must not confuse the concept of faith with the concept of grace. Grace comes from God and is free. If we accept Jesus Christ as our personal Savior in our lives we have been reconciled to God when Christ takes upon himself all our sins. In baptism, so we washed clean and can turn the page. We are starting a brand new life.

In this new life, it means our repentance that we keep our eyes on Christ and follow Him. IN John 14: 23 it says:

Jesus answered, "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. And my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make Our home with him.

How to choose to believe in Jesus Christ also means that we follow his commandments. Then we can get the Holy Spirit's confirmation of our lives. Faith is nothing permanent. It is an act and an attitude. We can almost compare the faith with a plant that needs nourishment to survive. Faith needs to scripture study and prayer. Faith needs that we follow the commandments. Faith needs an affirmation of listening to the still small voice within us. Faith needs a heart that is willing to repent, humble themselves, have a positive attitude and a desire to serve. We must open our hearts and actively live out our faith.

Of course I was sad about the message I received on Facebook, but at the same time, I was not surprised. I myself have been the same; believed that faith was free and lived high on the förälskelses intoxication that I found myself in the new member. But finally, I came down to earth. The love was over and it was time to end that I realized I had to start working on the relationship that I entered with Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. Then, when I live right and follow the commandments which I know I have to follow that faith comes as a confirmation. I met with the miracle to feel the Holy Spirit's presence in my life that confirms to me that the path I chose when I chose to follow Jesus Christ is the way that leads to the light, joy, peace and a sense of purpose.

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Isaiah Institute with Avraham Gileadi Ph.D. - Vignette of 1 6

Avraham GileadiAvraham Gileadi is an expert in Isaiah and is a member of the church. For those who are inresserad to learn more about Isaiah, this is a film that is exciting to see.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avraham_Gileadi

[Vimeo 114946880 w = h = 500 281]

Isaiah Institute with Avraham Gileadi Ph.D. - Vignette of 1 6 from Color My Media on Vimeo.

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The promoting the doubt and the dangerous doubt

 

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It is popular to doubt the Church. If we do not doubt that you are probably not sufficiently well-informed or have a childlike faith (read: naive). For me, doubt is not so strange. We all have our ups and down waves of life. But the question is if doubt itself is nothing edifying? Say you have a motorcycle in the yard. You're going to take a ride, but wonders if the bike is in running condition. You begin to doubt that you can get that coveted motorcycle tour. What are you doing? Sit down and begin to philosophize about what might be wrong with the motorcycle? Maybe start up a closed Facebook group and draws up a number of siblings doubters to confirm your tvivlarbehov? Nah, probably not. You go up to the motorcycle and try to start it. Maybe get off the motorcycle and go test it. Perhaps you check the oil, or anything technical. Or?

So here it is with faith too.

We can intellectualize, we can ponder, we can discuss with equally intelligent insightful fellows who also doubt to confirm our ego, sorry, to confirm that we are part of a larger community, I mean ...
But faith is in fact an act. The belief is that your motorcycle. You have to test and see if it works.

Some time ago, I was invited to one of those closed Facebook group for the doubters. I think the one who invited me my thought that maybe I was intellectual enough to fit into. Yes, of course you have to have the critical thinking, right? Out of curiosity and to get any ideas to spice up this blog so I went with. To make a long story short, I was eventually expelled from the group. The problem? I doubted not enough. Putting aside all publicly whining of parents, relatives, church members, church leaders, etc. so was criticism of the church's polygamy high on the list. Quite nonchalantly, I put a comment that I personally did not experience any problems with polygamy. Honestly. Imagine being the two women who tell fellow locomotives to take care of the dishes. No, quite so irreverently expressed myself not on their blog, but I wanted to point out that the problem was typical of the time and local art. In Africa, the Church has problems with members of the Church would ordain polygamy again.

There I could learn from this group was to irrelevant things were raised that do not really have the truth of the Gospel to make, for example, personal conflicts, and that the group was not a neutral tvivlargrupp. Is a group of neutral, all voices be heard, but this was not the case in this group. A brother in my congregation who is a professor (I think) taught me the concept of "bubblefiering". They live in their own little imagination it as a facebook group and can not accept other points of view. Something that I end up not doubted in terms of this facebook group was that it was really about an exit group. To doubt is something we should welcome and not repress, man, there is doubt dangerous. There is the example of different groups where the goal is not that you should be able to come to believe again, but that you should leave the faith completely. There was no tvivlargrupp that I was thrown out of, it was a clean exit group. The famous name of the group that Hans Mattsson and John Dehlin was the group did not think I doubted less on the matter.

When I was in the temple later, I had the privilege to talk with one of the temple workers there. She told me that in her youth had gone on a mission to Utah. There she met many women from polygamous communities. At one point, as she found the writings of the Church University where some leaders in the early 1800 speech expressed that it was good for men to take on young, attractive women. This information led her to really start to doubt and thought to yourself "what am I doing here?" She was on a mission and no longer believed. But, as told this tempeltjänaren she realized that there was only one source she could turn to for knowledge. She went to God in prayer and asked him. It is nevertheless true that it is only God who knows the answer.

Doubts have existed in all times. The disciples doubted Jesus Christ, despite all the miracles they witnessed. Jesus Christ himself perhaps in a weak moment doubted his own mission when he exclaimed, "My God, my God. Why have you forsaken me? "So I'm the last to doubt the doubt, but I encourage everyone to try God. You can test your motorcycle, then I can go down on your knees and ask God. My personal experience is that I build up my faith by living right. I follow all the commandments? I read the scriptures and ponder them? Do I pray regularly? Can I show gratitude? I realize that I can never understand everything because I'm an imperfect person?

"What do we do with our motorcycle?" Yes, because it should not Paja so I guess you have to maintain it in any way. We maintain our faith or we are just our doubts? Sometimes we must simply take the position and work from this standpoint. Before I joined the Church, so I doubted very much. I was neither hot nor cold and did not take a position. It was a special event that made me suddenly had the realization that I had to decide. Once I decided I would let baptize me. But that's not all. I must also follow Christ and his commandments. Sometimes really know how I have tested the faith. When I got divorced and was alone with four children so tithe a great challenge. I remember how depressed I felt when I connected with my divorce was reading a newspaper article about poor economic ensamtående mothers had it. When I read this, my courage sank and I thought that most single moms maybe had two children, not four children and they did not pay tithes. But I decided to try the Lord. I continued each month to pay my tithing of my gross salary. Of course, I have not had the fat, but I have several times witnessed how my faith strengthened by all the blessings that I have received since I have chosen to follow my faith.

What does the Bible say about the doubts? Yes, there is such a website that brings out all the scriptures where it is taken up. I have selected some of these scriptures to show what attitude we should have and which way we can go.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. (Word 3: 5)

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all liberally and without criticizing, and he should get. 6But he must ask in faith, nothing wavering. Anyone who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7Such a man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8fragmented as the man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1: 5-8)

But he said to them: "Why are you so worried? Why is it up doubt in your hearts? Luke 24: 38

Jesus answered them, "I tell you the truth: If you have faith and do not doubt, you can do not only what the fig tree. You'll even be able to say to this mountain, lift up and cast into the sea, and it will happen. (Matthew 21: 21)

Against those who doubt should you be merciful (Jude 1: 22)

Source: 46 Bible verses about doubt.

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... And then there came a helicopter

helicopter

Some time ago when I was talking to my little daughter Eila so she told me a story.

- Mom, it was a man who had fallen in the water. He prayed to God to be saved. A boat came by and wanted to pick up the man, but the man replied that he would be saved by God. And then there came a helicopter. They celebrated down a ladder and wanted to save the man. But the man refused to be rescued saying that he would be saved by God. In the end, the man drowned and he met God. The man asked accusingly God why God had not come to save him. God answered:

-First So I sent a boat, but you did not want to be picked up and then I sent a helicopter, but you did not want my help then either.

When Eila had told his story, I wondered in my own mind if it was I who had originally told this to her because it is one of my favorite stories. I believe that God is with each of us every second and I think that God in very acts by other people. It may mean that we ask for something, thinking about something, need help with something, and then it pops up a fellow human being who answers even prayers, thoughts or what you need help with. The person providing your answers to prayers do not need to be a member of the same church as you, or even believers. It might as well be a Christer Sturmark. God works through all people.

Last Sunday, I met an elderly female member of the Church. She actually belongs Utby Assembly, but because we belonging Frölunda parish now goes Utby ward when our chapel renovated so it happens quite often that we Frolunda Members encounter Utbymedlemmar. I myself have sometimes gone to their meeting times and sometimes I see some little utbybo going on our meeting times.

Anyway, I went up to the older female member and regretted the grief when her ex-husband had recently passed away. We started talking about her divorce and how her life had become when she suddenly told me that she had long wanted to talk to me. I was a little surprised because really we do not know each other directly, but she is an older sister of the neighboring parish that I rarely someone once have encountered and exchanged a few words with. But she said she had known that she would go to me and say that I have to move on in life. I understood exactly what she meant by her words and felt awe at how God had just spoken to me through this sister.

Sometimes God also speaks to us through the scriptures. We, as members of the Church believe in personal revelation for our lives. Sometimes the revelation come when we read the scriptures. Just over a week ago, I was in the temple in Stockholm. In anticipation of a session, so I sat down in the temple's entrance vestibule, picked an outsourced Bible and began to read. Randomly I started reading in Luke. Then suddenly a scripture for me as I never have considered.

"Master! Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me. " Jesus said to him, "Man, who made me the arbiter between you?"Then he said to them: "Make sure your guard against all kinds of greed for life is not about the abundance of possessions." (Luke 12: 13-15)

Since I am currently doing a probate and dread over it so it felt like a direct address from God.

When you are in the temple as you meet always interesting people you may never have met before, and probably never meet again. Some of the best conversations I have had during these meetings. In the recent past, I have pondered much on my relationship with my ex. man, one of my children Asperger diagnosis and my mother who was a so-called. collector. Especially now that you're up in succession over, I think a lot of the latter. Perhaps it was so that God knew I needed someone to just bounce my thoughts with the temple, I met a wonderful woman, we can call her "Karin", who was there as ordinance workers. It turned out that both she and I are divorced and we started talking relationships. The first Karin says that "it would have been so wonderful if we had met a man who could walk on older missionary with." I just felt "oh" and told just exactly as I have also thought. Otherwise, I think that both she and I have a good and active life.

When I came home from the temple so I sought Karin's fb friendship. It is not the first time I meet someone in the temple which I then become fb friends with. It was not long before it was a small request on fb from Karin if she could sleep over at my place in Gothenburg. She would be on the course outside Gothenburg and thought it would be expensive with the hotel. I wrote back on fb: "can you take cats?" I have three cats at home and it can cause problems for some. I was told that she had two cats and a dog.

So the night before last I met Karin at the train. We ate supper together and we were all in bed pretty late. In the morning I went out with her wherever she would go to meet other students as she could travel with. Yesterday when the course was over, so we träfades again and went out and ate before she would take the train back to Stockholm again. It always feels so nice to have an adult member of the Church in his home. We could keep prayer together and it was not just me at home that was adult. When we talked on so I was amazed how similar Karin and I was. Little tentative so I picked up that I thought it was a little awkward with my ex. Since I have put the welfare of children at the center, I have given him come to my home at Christmas dinner, Easter dinner, at dinner, in general, etc. In recent times, it feels as if exet more or less moved in with me and it feels so good. When I take it up with the kids so they do of course I'm really weird because it's their dad, I'm talking about. I can also get this little creeping feeling of "how do I explain this" if I someday would start dating again?

It turned out that Karin is just as weird. She also puts the needs of children in the center. Her children do not want to be with her dad so therefore, their dad home to them instead. He has even been the keys to their home. Just to be worse than me, told Karin that she t about has gone on vacation with his ex, kids and exets new wife. She explained to me that her ex. husband's new wife is from China so she is very tolerant of her husband's ex. wife always present.

Karin and I have a daughter with disabilities. Therefore, we started talking about it and it turned out that Karen's nephew also has aspergers. We started talking about disability in general and when told Karin about their relatives who are collectors. I then had not even told her that my mother was a collector. As I sat and talked to Karin, I was more and more amazed at how much we had in common. When choosing a restaurant so Karin Indian food as their favorite food like me, we reluctantly made off to the Three Indians, perhaps Gothenburg best Indian restaurant, but it turned out to be fully booked. Then I wondered if Karin liked vegetarian food. Self, I'm a vegetarian and the Church, we are invited to just eat a little meat, but it is a council that not all members embrace. It turned out, however, that Karin does not eat very much meat and that both her children are vegetarians. Then we reluctantly made on through Haga Sunflower restaurant and ate our dinner there instead. The sunflower is an old cult restaurant and perhaps the best vegetarian restaurant in town, apart from Govinda.

Today as I write this, I feel so strong experience of God's presence in my life. Things I pondered God through others and scriptures answered. Maybe I have not received an answer about what is right or wrong in detail, or a mapped out plan of action, but life feels suddenly much easier and I feel that whatever may be in my life, there is always God there and send a boat or a helicopter.

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National Geographic - The Secret Bible

The Secret Bible

American documentary from 2005. The series puts Christianity secrets under the microscope and want to find out what is truth and what is fiction in the case of three substances and phenomena originating in the Bible: Knights Templar, Jesus rivals and the apocalypse.

http://www.dailymotion.com/playlist/x34d5q_singaporegeek_national-geographic-the-secret-bible/1#video=x1jpkye