[Levi Jones]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

The main points of Calvinism can be summed up by the mnemonic tulip.

Total depravity
Unconditional election (God's elect were not chosen based on any goodness within themselves)
Limited atonement (Jesus died only for the elect, NOT for everyone)
Irresistible calling (If you are elect, you have no choice; you will come to faith in Christ when the Holy Spirit calls you. God has not given us free will, as so many "evangelicals" claim)
Perseverance of the saints (If you really are a Christian you will persevere till the end. If you fall away, then you weren't really a Christian in the first place and God has shown you up for the reprobate soul that you are)

I know the five points very well. It's nice to have you. I think you'll find we agree on more than we don't.

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Dear friend,

You claim to be partially deaf. To what do you attribute said affliction? Do you think that perhaps Jesus is trying to tell you something about the Satanic practice of child sacrifice, aka paedobaptism?

I was born partially deaf. It is a genetic defect. Like everyone else, from the moment of conception, I was inherently evil. It just so happened that God chose to smite me with deafness, but others he smote with different afflictions. Why do you think that there has to be a reason for suffering? From where do you get this novel concept?

[Levi Jones]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Why do you think that there has to be a reason for suffering?

I believe in a personal living God who is active in our lives all the time.

Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

So why do you say the Mormon Church is unsound? Our next President is from that Church and I find it disturbing to think the President would be a member of an unsound Church in such a Godfearing Country as the USA. Does that mean our next President is un-baptised in your view?

YIC

The Mormon church is unsound because they believe in the Book of Mormon, practise polygamy and wear funny underwear. Your next President, sadly, may well turn out to be an antichrist, leading your godfearing nation astray and deceiving, if it were possible, even the elect.

The problem stems from your system of government there in the US. Nowhere in the Bible does God sanction democracy as his chosen instrument of government. The only form of government endorsed in the Bible is a monarchy. In Australia we have Queen Elizabeth II ruling over us, who is a member of both the Church of England and the Church of Scotland , so we are really blessed here. We are preserved from the predicament you face over there. And the Netherlands, my home country, is also a monarchy.

I find it funny how in the US you guys think Republicans are conservative. In Australia republicans (those who want Australia to become a republic) are a bunch of ultra leftist weirdos. Perhaps you guys should rejoin the British Empire. Just a thought.

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

I believe in a personal living God who is active in our lives all the time.

Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?

Levi,

Do you believe God is trying to warn me against pedobaptism? Why do you think I was given this affliction?

[MitzaLizalor]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Why do you think I was given this affliction?

Not necessarily through any fault of yours.

EDIT: sorry, I didn't post the Scripture that was laid on my heart in that post:

DEUTERONOMY 5
6 ¶ I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the lande of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
7 Thou shalt haue none other gods before me.
8 Thou shalt not make thee any grauen image, or any likenesse of any thing that is in heauen aboue, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth.
9 Thou shalt not bow downe thy selfe vnto them, nor serue them: for I the Lord thy God am a ielous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers vpon the children, vnto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,
10 And shewing mercy vnto thousands, of them that loue me, and keepe my commandements.
©1611

[Levi Jones]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Levi,

Do you believe God is trying to warn me against pedobaptism?

Calvinists don't believe in pedobaptism, if I recall correctly.

Why do you think I was given this affliction?

It's difficult to say. Perhaps it was so Jesus could heal you of it to show His mighty power.

John 9:2-3 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

It also could be that one of your ancestors sinned.

Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

But there's good news! Perhaps we could arrange to pray for you to heal you and arrange for God to forgive you of whatever sins you or your ancestors committed to receive this blemish.

James 5:14-15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

If it doesn't work, it was your fault.

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Calvinists don't believe in pedobaptism, if I recall correctly.



It's difficult to say. Perhaps it was so Jesus could heal you of it to show His mighty power.

John 9:2-3 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

It also could be that one of your ancestors sinned.

Exodus 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

But there's good news! Perhaps we could arrange to pray for you to heal you and arrange for God to forgive you of whatever sins you or your ancestors committed to receive this blemish.

James 5:14-15 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

If it doesn't work, it was your fault.

James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Please pray for me. I hope it wasn't my fault.

[Christianzionist]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Please pray for me. I hope it wasn't my fault.

Prayer backed by belief can move mountains, why do mock the LORD oh ye of little faith?

Everything the LORD does is for a reason, and I feel that God wants you to be baptised as a Believer.

I am not promising you anything but God may unsmiteth you of your affliction if you decide to obey His commands.

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Prayer backed by belief can move mountains, why do mock the LORD oh ye of little faith?

Everything the LORD does is for a reason, and I feel that God wants you to be baptised as a Believer.

I am not promising you anything but God may unsmiteth you of your affliction if you decide to obey His commands.

I would very much appreciate your prayer, and I hope I will be healed, but I know my affliction is not because of my position on baptism, which is based on the grammatical-historical method of interpreting Scripture. I will also be praying for you, that the Lord will open your eyes to understand His Word.

[Christianzionist]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

I would very much appreciate your prayer, and I hope I will be healed, but I know my affliction is not because of my position on baptism, which is based on the grammatical-historical method of interpreting Scripture. I will also be praying for you, that the Lord will open your eyes to understand His Word.

I am blushing, thank you.

[Rev. M. Rodimer]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Rev Rodimer,

To clarify my previous comment, if someone comes to faith in Christ as, say, an adolescent or an adult and they have not previously been baptised in a sound church (being baptised in a Mormon church wouldn't count, for that is not a sound church), then they should be baptised and the option of full immersion would be open to them. This is believer's baptism, and we practise this. The difference is that we do not practise believers-only baptism; we also practise pedobaptism. I hope that the Lord opens your heart to understanding.

Since you are a Calvinist, believing in absolute predestination, what exactly is the point of pedobaptism? The child cannot express belief as he does not understand, and the rituals of man have no effect when the soul is predestined for Heaven or Hell.

Kindly explain.

[Christianzionist]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

I would very much appreciate your prayer, and I hope I will be healed, but I know my affliction is not because of my position on baptism, which is based on the grammatical-historical method of interpreting Scripture. I will also be praying for you, that the Lord will open your eyes to understand His Word.

Being Austrian, do you consider Crocadile Dundee or Steve Irwin to be a finer representative of your race?

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Being Austrian, do you consider Crocadile Dundee or Steve Irwin to be a finer representative of your race?

Sadly, neither of these men are a good representative for Australia, and Steve Irwin is already burning in hell. Probably the most godly Australian I know would be Ken Ham, founder of Answers in Genesis and the Creation Museum.

[Pim Pendergast]

Re: Greetings from Down Under

Since you are a Calvinist, believing in absolute predestination, what exactly is the point of pedobaptism? The child cannot express belief as he does not understand, and the rituals of man have no effect when the soul is predestined for Heaven or Hell.

Kindly explain.

God has predestined us Calvinists to baptise infants, and since predestination overrides free will, we can't help ourselves. Likewise God has predestined Baptists to follow the unscriptural practice of believers-only Baptism, so no matter what I say, you probably won't change your mind. And since God has predestined children in Calvinist churches to be baptised, what they want is irrelevant. I hope this clarifies things for you.