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Motar

Motar

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"And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again.

There were others who were tortured, refusing to be released so that they might gain an even better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were put to death by stoning; they were sawed in two; they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, living in caves and in holes in the ground." (Hebrews 11:32-38 NIV)

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Motar

Motar

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"A Bomb Confirms the Calling of a Pastor in Baghdad

The man has just left his home, hopping into his car, turning the keys in the ignition, and pushing the accelerator as he had so many times before. Only this time, as he began the familiar journey toward the church where he worked as a pastor, he immediately sensed something was different.

Almost right away, an explosion ripped through the car, violently shaking the vehicle and—at the same time—engulfing it in the flames.

'I was totally confused, and I couldn’t see anymore.' The young pastor, named Joseph, remembers.

Though disoriented and in shock, he could hear a woman’s hysterical voice piercing his ears. 'This man is dying!' She screamed.

'This is it.' Pastor Joseph resolved. 'I am dying.'

Except for somehow, he didn’t. Instead, against all odds, Pastor Joseph was able to exit the rapidly burning vehicle. His sight returned in time for him to see the wreckage engulfed in flames.

'Each part of my car was destroyed and damaged, except for my seat.' Pastor Joseph described. 'I had no scratches. The car was in flames, but I wasn’t burned. I found pieces of glass in my hair and four parts of the bomb in the scarf I had around my neck. As if a scarf could stop a bomb. Nothing touched me, I lost not even a drop of blood.'

The young pastor was dumbfounded by how his life has been spared. He immediately credited his survival to the hand of the Lord. 'God gave me additional time. He put his stamp on my ministry, He said ‘Go on.’ God encouraged me that day.”

https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christ...ens-faith/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc

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Motar

Motar

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"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:24-28 )

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C

Cliffy

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Sounds to me that god was pissed off at Saul. And rightfully so. He completely screwed up Jesus point for coming here. He hated women and looooved little boys. Could be why there is so much pedophilia in the church he founded. I really cannot understand why so many women love this misogynist.
 
Tecumsehsbones

Tecumsehsbones

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Motar said:
"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches." (2 Corinthians 11:24-28 )
Click to expand...
This is freedom from suffering and oppression?
 
Motar

Motar

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Jun 18, 2013
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48
Tecumsehsbones said:
This is freedom from suffering and oppression?
Click to expand...

"Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, 'This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.' But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects." (Acts 28:3-5 NIV)
 
Motar

Motar

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Jun 18, 2013
2,469
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48
Tecumsehsbones said:
This is freedom from suffering and oppression?
Click to expand...

"Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, 'These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.' She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, 'In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!' At that moment the spirit left her." (Acts 16:16-18 NIV)
 
Motar

Motar

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Jun 18, 2013
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"Christians are forced meet in pairs or small groups in homes, cemeteries, and other locations hidden from the government’s eye. If they’re caught, they’ll be crammed into makeshift prisons built from shipping containers that are blazing hot during the day and frigid during the night. Many believers are forced into physical labor until they renounce their faith, and some prisoners who have refused to give up on God have been imprisoned since the crackdown began 15 years ago."
https://www.mnnonline.org/news/eritrean-church-turns-cemeteries-meeting-places/

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