There are certainly some people who are called to be martyrs. I am not one of them. Until that calling comes to me, I will do whatever it takes to protect my family, first and foremost, others and myself.
I don't want to "GIVE" my life for the Lord, I want to "LIVE" my life for the Lord.
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"Those who go after the "Sauls" among us often slay the Davids among us." Gene Edwards
What are your thoughts on a christian owning a gun? not for hunting but a handgun for protection and so on..
Where does the New Testament ever teach us to protect ourselves? Didn't Jesus say that if someone strikes us on one cheek to offer him the other cheek also?
I believe in the 1st amendment right to bear arms. I would like a nice Glock .50 handgun and I think that Desert Eagle also has a .50 handgun too.
Well, I don't believe in the first amendment right to bear arms but I do believe that there is a second amendment right to bear arms. However, that right applies to citizens of the United States of America and not to citizens of the kingdom of Heaven.
Where does the New Testament ever teach us to protect ourselves? Didn't Jesus say that if someone strikes us on one cheek to offer him the other cheek also?
Do you lock your doors? Do you have a smoke detector?
Well, I don't believe in the first amendment right to bear arms but I do believe that there is a second amendment right to bear arms. However, that right applies to citizens of the United States of America and not to citizens of the kingdom of Heaven.
Paul was a citizen of heaven, as you put it, and yet also exercised his rights as a Roman citizen, and plainly declared himself to be a Roman citizen.
Thus, there is no conflict for a Christian to be both a "citizen of heaven" and a citizen of the country where they live or where they were born.
Turning the other cheek is about pride and responding to insults and challenges. It is not about protecting one's family, or one's community or nation, against violent criminals.
Christ commanded His disciples to go and buy a sword. They already had two swords amongst them, which means that the entire time they were following Jesus, some of them were ARMED.
They seemed to have missed that sermon which said "it is wrong for you to own or carry weapons."
"identifying ourselves by any earthly nationality, ethnicity or culture is treason."
The apostle Paul said this:
Act 21:39 But Paul said, I am a man [which am] a Jew of Tarsus, [a city] in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.
He also said this:
Act 22:25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
And then there is this:
Act 22:27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
Paul plainly identified himself as a Roman. He also identified himself by an ethnicity, nationality, and culture, when he said this:
Rom 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the tribe of Benjamin.
"identifying ourselves by any earthly nationality, ethnicity or culture is treason."
The apostle Paul said this:
Act 21:39 But Paul said, I am a man [which am] a Jew of Tarsus, [a city] in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.
He also said this:
Act 22:25 And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?
And then there is this:
Act 22:27 Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea.
Paul plainly identified himself as a Roman. He also identified himself by an ethnicity, nationality, and culture, when he said this:
Rom 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the tribe of Benjamin.
I am a Christian and I am an American. That means that I will stand for truth and will protect my country if need be.
I think war is a terrible thing and should be avoided at all times. However, there is something worse than war, and that is the oppression and bondage of the masses. War is necessary when freedom is at stake. We are all engaged in warfare and it does become spiritually violent at times. I believe that we are to do our best to bring about peaceful resolutions to problems and situations, but I will guarantee you that I would not stand idly by and watch someone else or my family be harmed.
We are to follow peace will all men. However, there is a time for anger and action.....just follow Jesus into the temple when the Pharisees were ripping poeple off when they came to worship. Jesus was TICKED off and did something about it!!!
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"Those who go after the "Sauls" among us often slay the Davids among us." Gene Edwards
Well, I don't believe in the first amendment right to bear arms but I do believe that there is a second amendment right to bear arms. However, that right applies to citizens of the United States of America and not to citizens of the kingdom of Heaven.
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