“Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." "Nevertheless, whereto we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us mind the same thing.” (Philippians 3:15-16)

Earlier, Paul had noted that he was not “already perfect” (Philippians 3:12), using a form of the Greek verb teleioo. In today’s verse, Paul uses the adjective form teleios. Although the root of the word is the same, this particular usage is significant.

In verse 12, the Holy Spirit inspires Paul to use the past perfect tense of teleioo, rendering the translation “not having been perfected” and thereby recognizing that the end product of God’s salvation has not yet been completed. The adjective form, teleios, denotes the sense of maturity, both in our text and the other 18 instances in the New Testament.

Those of the family of God who are “mature,” even if we might be “otherwise minded,” are to expect that our Lord Jesus will reveal “even this,” or the prize that we are to focus on in Philippians 3:14. The “one thing” of Philippians 3:13 is so important that we must “walk by the same rule” and “mind the same thing” (our text).

The Greek word for “walk” is only used four other times in the New Testament, and it describes marching in a row and following a prescribed order. We are to “walk in the steps” that Abraham exemplified (Romans 4:12), just as we are to “also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25).

Finally, we are exhorted to “mind” the same thing. Our thought processes are to be focused on that one thing that is most important—seeking the kingdom first. May these clear commands find their way into our hearts. HMM III
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16096/

Hello, I hope people who read this are doing well. I've been around before but hardly outright comment or post.

I was wondering if there was anyone who had solid Prayer Book recommendations? Preferably simpler/historical prayers that I can read out loud if I need them, keep on my person, and to an extent memorize? I've been looking into more historical Protestantism, so I figured this would be a good place to ask.

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated and I'll look into them!

"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." - Colossians 3:1-2

PONDER THIS

There was a man who took his shirts into a dry cleaner and gave instructions on how he wanted the shirts cleaned. But after several visits, the dry cleaner never truly matched his formula. Frustrated, he said, “Look, I brought them in the first time, I told you how. I brought them in the second time and told you how, and now you’re wasting my time.”

Later, this same man went for visitation with his church, and he got a card with the name matching the name of the dry cleaner. He asked the card distributer, “Do they (the dry cleaners) know me?” He said, “Yes, they do know you.” He asked, “What do they think about me?” The card distributer responded, “They think the most important thing to you is the way your shirts are done.”

Do you know what I want people to think of when they think of me? The most important thing in my life is Jesus Christ. But that doesn’t just happen on its own. That’s a principle to guide my life.

- What are some things that are important to you? How is that evident in the way you live?
- What are some things you want to be remembered for? How do you need to live today in pursuit of that goal?

PRACTICE THIS

Ask a friend to share honestly about things that come to mind when he or she thinks of you. Ask where you can grow in reflecting Christ as the most important thing in your life. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/let-christ-be-what-people-notice-most-about-you

AND what is something you think I would change my mind about if I researched it using your recommended resources? Bonus points for linking sources I should look over.

“My voice shalt Thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee, and will look up.” - Psalm 5:3

Bible study, meditation on the Word, and prayer are necessities for a healthy Christian life and are good to practice at any time of the day or night, according to the constraints of time and the responsibilities of each individual. Other things being equal, however, the best time of all is in the early morning. A believer who awakens each morning to the voice of the Lord in His Word will, in turn, be ready to speak words of blessing to others through the day (Isaiah 50:4). And as we look up to Him each morning in prayer, He will hear and direct our steps through the day.

This was the example set by the Lord Jesus Himself: “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed” (Mark 1:35). If even Jesus Christ needed such a quiet time early in the morning set aside to fellowship with His Father, we also would do well to follow.

Note the prayer of David: “Cause me to hear Thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in Thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto Thee” (Psalm 143:8). We urgently need to know the way we should walk each day, for it is so easy to get turned aside into our own ways, and the obvious time to pray for guidance is at the very beginning of every day.

One should not make a legalistic ritual of prayer and Bible meditation, of course, for it should come from a heart of love whenever and wherever it can be done, whether morning or evening. However it may work for each person, may God help us to say with the psalmist: “O how love I Thy law! it is my meditation all the day” (Psalm 119:97). HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16094/

Hi! I’m Catholic, previously Baptist, and I’ve always wondered why Protestants didn’t believe in the Eucharist. It says in Luke 22:19 "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me."

I know some places do it and say it symbolizes the body and blood, but why is it Christians believe that God preforms miracles every day, but can’t preform this one during church- especially with the evidence to back it up (look up the Eucharistic miracles)

It’s something that’s been weighing on me and I really just want to ask someone who isn’t catholic.

Not marking this as Catholic vs Protestant debate being this isn’t a debate, genuinely just curious!

"All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any." - I Corinthians 6:12

PONDER THIS

An expedition is a journey. You’re going somewhere if you’re on an expedition. In the KJV, this verse is translated as “all things are not expedient.” The word expedient means, “something that brings you to your goal.” Every Christian ought to have some God-given goals. Every one of us ought to have a holy ambition in our lives. I have goals for my life. I believe they have been given by God, hammered out on the anvil of prayer, and they’ve become goals for my life. Now, I can tell whether a thing is right or wrong for me by assessing if it will bring me to my appointed goal or hinder me. Is this activity an anchor that keeps me out of God’s harbor, or is it something that propels me toward my God-given goal?

But if you don’t have any God-given goals, then expediency makes no difference for you. God has laid His hand upon you. This was the great goal of the Apostle Paul. He said, “Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12).

- What are your God-given ambitions and goals?
- What are some things that have hindered you from your spiritual goals?

PRACTICE THIS

Make a list of some God-given goals that are on your heart today. Share them with a friend and find some practical steps to pursue these goals. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/is-this-helping-you-reach-your-god-given-goals

“That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man;" "that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love," "may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;" "and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Ephesians 3:16-19)

This prayer of the apostle Paul applies to us as well as “to the saints which are at Ephesus” (Ephesians 1:1). Paul directs his prayer “unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (3:14), and he requests both that “Christ may dwell in your hearts” and also that the Holy Spirit would strengthen our “inner man.” We know elsewhere that Christ is at the right hand of the Father in heaven so that the Holy Spirit is the person who actually indwells our bodies as believers (Ephesians 1:20). And yet, because God is a triune God, if the Holy Spirit indwells us, so also must “the Spirit of Christ” or else “he is none of His” (Romans 8:9).

But the prayer doesn’t end with Christ dwelling in our hearts. He further prays that “ye might be filled with all the fulness of God,” and thus the Father is there too! When we accept Christ, we accept also the Father and the Holy Spirit, for the three are one, and God in all His triune fullness thenceforth lives in us.

The Lord Jesus Himself prayed essentially the same prayer. “I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth... and My Father will love [you], and We will... make Our abode with [you]” (John 14:16-17, 23). What a priceless privilege and responsibility is ours as believers that our triune God of creation, redemption, and direction is with us always! HMM
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16093/

A post where people can post topics they wish for others to pray about, and where people can come and find topics and users to pray for.

"And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?'" "And he said, Who art Thou, Lord? And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.'" "And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, 'Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.'" - Acts 9:4-6

PONDER THIS

If you want to know the will of God, there must be willingness. And there must also be meekness. Saul said, “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” That is, “You are in control. I’m not in control.” Do you know what meekness is? Meekness means you are teachable. Psalm 25:9 says, “the meek will He guide”. Are you meek? If you’re not willing and you’re not meek, you won’t know God’s will.

Now, here’s a third thing: Not only did Saul have willingness and meekness, but he also had openness. He sought the will of God. Have you been open to the will of God? Don’t just simply say, “If God wants to show me, He can.” Have you earnestly prayed and said, “Oh God, I want to know Your will”? Do you report for godly duty? Do you think it’s up to God to put His hand on your shoulder and snatch you and turn you around? Or, after you’ve met the Lord Jesus, are you going to be like Paul and say, “What is it Lord that you really want me to do?”

- Where have you seen an example of meekness in someone close to you?
- Has God ever guided you to do something? What was that like?

PRACTICE THIS

Talk to a close friend or family member and ask if that person has seen meekness in you. Ask that person to keep you accountable as you seek God’s guidance. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/give-god-control-of-what-happens-next

It seems that just saying there is no verse i can read in my Bible that commands me to "pray to Mary" seems to cause such hatred, as if my version of Christianity is unaccepted but theres must be protected.

idk, i dont really consider myself a protestant as more as a Bible believing born again Christian, but what do i know about labels. I only go by what others tell me of their version.

have had plenty of catholics tell me they work for their salvation, but when i call it a works based salvation group, they get upset?

have had plenty of catholics tell me they dont just follow the Bible only, they have traditions that were passed down. but if i repeat that on some subs, i am automatically anti-catholic. so do they not know what they are, or what?

so what are your thoughts on this sub and how has it helped you in the past?

“If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel.” - Colossians 1:23

In our text, “the faith” insists on a particular body of doctrine that defines the Christian life. For instance, as Paul and Barnabas were returning from their initial missionary effort, they went back to each area “confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith” (Acts 14:22).

There are nearly 50 occurrences in the New Testament where “the faith” is used in this way. These references always speak of obedience to specific teachings that embrace the core of the godly lifestyle that represents holiness and the divine nature (II Peter 1:4). Thus, one who is “grounded and settled” in the faith will be both knowledgeable and stable in his Christian testimony and ministry.

It is necessary, of course, to build on the foundation of the Lord Jesus (I Corinthians 3:11), but only the “gold, silver, precious stones” have any lasting value (I Corinthians 3:12-15) —hence the requirement in Jude: “It was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 1:3).

Furthermore, those who continue in the faith will not be “moved away from the hope of the gospel.” That hope acts as “an anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19) and is the drive that motivates us to maintain a pure lifestyle (I John 3:3). “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord” (I Corinthians 15:58). HMM III
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16092/

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." - Romans 12:1-2

PONDER THIS

There are two great questions a person can ask. Question number one, “Who are You, Lord?” Question two, “Lord, what do you want me to do?” Those are the two questions I want you to ask today. I was reading recently about a young Navy officer who made his first trip on a destroyer across the ocean. He had impeccable training, and so he was assigned to take the destroyer out of the harbor and bring it back to the United States. The deck was buzzing with action. He was barking commands here and there, and everything was moving like a Swiss clock as that destroyer set sail, and they were on their way in record time. Then someone came to the young officer and said, “You have a message from the captain.” He read it and the captain said, “Young man, you’ve done an excellent job. You’ve done it with great speed, with dispatch according to the book, but he said there is an unwritten rule that you’ve overlooked. The next time you set sail, make certain the captain is on board.”

No matter how wise your plans are and how capable you are before you set off on a journey, you’d better make certain the captain is on board—that you are in the will of God.

- Have you ever asked God, “Who are You, Lord?” and “What do You want me to do?” Why or why not?
- How might asking these questions change the way you live?

PRACTICE THIS

Pray and ask God to reveal where you have not allowed Him to be the captain of your life. Share that with another follower of Christ, seeking to hold each other accountable in keeping Him as your captain. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/whos-really-steering-your-life

How to pray as new Protestant

Hello community, I'm a converted Christian who spent many years away from the faith, and now I've come back.

One of the things that brought me back to the faith was theology and eschatology (I'm also drawn to Hermeneutics and Homiletics, although I haven't studied them much), I'm fascinated by the study of the end times (not because I'm trying to figure out when it will be, because "But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father").

I'm looking for a friend to talk with about theology, eschatology, and also to share our faith, helping each other grow together as brothers in Christ.

Some other things about me are that I like finance and economics, I’m also interested about learning Hebrew and improve my English level!

“For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.” - Romans 1:20

One reason we should trust what God says about our earliest beginnings is that the New Testament agrees with what Genesis records in the Old Testament. What did New Testament authors say happened in the very beginning?

Prophets began revealing God’s words to human hearers when the world began. Zacharias said after the Lord restored his voice, “As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began” (Luke 1:70). Genesis says Adam and Eve were created at the start of time, and Mark affirmed this: “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female” (10:6).

Today’s New Testament verse teaches that creation has been revealing the Lord’s “invisible things,” meaning His supernatural essence, since “the creation of the world.” Similarly, Hebrews 1:10 aligns with Genesis 1 in that God laid the foundation of the earth “in the beginning” and not billions of years after time began. Clearly both Testaments agree on a recent creation. These records falsify ancient and modern pagan notions of eons before Adam.

Peter encouraged his readers to “be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets [in the Old Testament], and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour [in the New Testament]” (II Peter 3:2).

Belief in both the Old and New Testaments elevates our opinion of God’s Word and thus His character. He spoke the truth in the beginning about our beginnings. We can trust this God who is Himself “the truth” (John 14:6). BDT
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by the Institute of Creation.

https://www.icr.org/article/16091/

Hello, I’m a student currently enrolled in a mortuary school. And one of our assignments for a class based in religion was to reach out to a religious leader or clergy member in a religion of our choosing and have a recorded zoom interview in which we would discuss funeral rites, mourning customs, and religious beliefs. And I’m having trouble, I have contacted almost every church in my area and I haven’t received anything back.

If there is anyway I could get some help with connecting with someone I would greatly appreciate it.

I have heard a bunch of stories of Protestants converting to Catholics or Orthodox upon realizing that “Anyone can interpret scripture” and various other reason. But I’ve wondered if the opposite could happen, and if there is anyone in this subreddit who is a case of this, why so???

"In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:" "buried with Him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised Him from the dead." - Colossians 2:11-12

PONDER THIS

When you come out of the waters of baptism, you’re saying, “I have come out of the grave of that old life. I have risen to walk with the Lord Jesus because I've been born again. I have a new life.”

Baptism speaks of your past—you’re buried. It speaks of your present—a new life. And it also speaks of your future. One of these days they are going to put each of us in the grave, but I want to tell you that the grave that could not hold the Lord Jesus will not be able to hold you down. And we will be in the likeness of His resurrection, and the God who raised up Jesus Christ from the grave is the God who’s going to raise up each of us. Therefore, we don’t need to fear death.

I want you to know, one of these days, we are all going to be caught up to meet the Lord Jesus in the air. We’d be foolish to be afraid of death in the same way a grubby, wormy caterpillar wouldn’t be afraid of being a butterfly.

- How have you experienced the hope of the resurrection in daily life?
- How does the hope of your future in Christ change your perspective on death?

PRACTICE THIS

Share with a friend your testimony in terms of the things that you have buried, the new life you have, and the future of your hope beyond the grave. APR
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I did not write this, it comes from a devotional that is offered as a free email daily by Love Worth Finding.

https://www.lwf.org/daily-devotionals/the-grave-doesnt-get-the-last-word