VCF Christian Fellowship

The VCF should enable…

  • Christian perspectives on events

    Votes: 7 87.5%
  • Encouragement

    Votes: 7 87.5%
  • Sharing experiences

    Votes: 7 87.5%
  • Prayer

    Votes: 7 87.5%
  • Friendship

    Votes: 7 87.5%
  • Sharing helpful teaching

    Votes: 6 75.0%
  • Fostering understanding of different points of view

    Votes: 2 25.0%

  • Total voters
    8
  • Poll closed .

Lyfe

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May 11, 2020
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3,639
A new week to advance God's kingdom and war a good warfare!


1 Timothy 1:16-18

King James Version


16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
18 This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
 

Dalit

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Oct 23, 2018
Messages
1,911
Thought this might bless you as it did me.


We must continually come to Him!

One great part of the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart is to . . .
empty us,
strip us of self,
lead us to feel our own weakness,
and bring us as poor sinners to look to Jesus alone, as our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.
And just in proportion as we feel our need of Christ, and realize our absolute nothingness without Christ, shall we . . .
prize Him,
enjoy Him, and
exercise dependence upon Him.

O how little do many of us know our need of Christ, and therefore it is that we . . .
make so little use of Christ,
enjoy so little of Christ,
receive so little from Christ,
and do so little for Christ!

We come to Him at first, as poor, lost, helpless sinners--that we may be saved by His merit and mercy.
And as believers, we must continually come to Him . . .
with all our burdens, that He may bear them;
with all our cares, that He may manage them;
with all our sorrows, that He may sanctify them;
with all our foes, that He may conquer them;
with all our sins, that He may cleanse them; and
with all our needs, that He may supply them.

All that we need is in Christ--and it is in Christ, for us. Our sense of our need of Christ, if it is deep and increasing, will lead us to daily come to Christ for all our supplies.

Our deep necessity fits us for Christ--and His infinite fullness fits Him for us!

Our trials, troubles, temptations, disappointments, and vexations are to teach us our need of Christ, and drive us continually to Him.

There is often much prayer--and yet little communion with Christ.
We should realize that He is giving us His whole attention.
He expects us to tell Him . . .
all that troubles us,
all that grieves us,
all that pleases us,
all that we need,
and all that we desire.
We should keep back nothing from Him--but speak to Him freely on every subject, and every circumstance.
He is always with us, listening to us, and sympathetically entering into all our concerns!

We must be intimate with Christ.
We must walk with Him.
We must carry everything to Him.
We must seek all we need from Him.
We must be constantly . . .
going to Christ,
conversing with Christ,
and obtaining from Christ,
if we would receive the consoling influences of His love!
 

Red Sky at Morning

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Mar 15, 2017
Messages
13,932
@Dalit

It seems to me that we come to Jesus because we realise we can’t do it on our own, but somehow when it comes to living the Christian life, we forget.

Ted Dekker said in one of his books that life was a cycle of remembering and forgetting. When you read the history of Israel you see it play out through centuries. Recently I have been brought back to the simplicity of faith and dependence on the Lord. Thanks for sharing what you did.
 

Lyfe

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Joined
May 11, 2020
Messages
3,639
Isaiah 28:5-6

English Standard Version




5 In that day the Lord of hosts will be a crown of glory,[a]
and a diadem of beauty, to the remnant of his people,
6 and a spirit of justice to him who sits in judgment,
and strength to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
 

Lyfe

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Messages
3,639
2 Timothy 2:1-4
English Standard Version
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
2 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, 2 and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men,[a] who will be able to teach others also. 3 Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. 4 No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
 

Lyfe

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May 11, 2020
Messages
3,639
God calls us to newness of life(a new beginning) through his son Jesus. In him we are reconciled to God and pass from death to life. We definitely lose our reputation in the process, but it's worth it to have unity with Christ(a relationship with God)and have peace and joy through the holy spirit.

1 Corinthians 4:13
New Living Translation
13 We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.

1 John 3:13
King James Version
13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.
 

Lyfe

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Messages
3,639
There are some prodigals who think that God has forgotten them and their prayers. God's memory is perfect. Those prayers and that time you appeared before him in desperation many years ago are like a moment ago to him.

Isaiah 49:14-16
English Standard Version
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me;
my Lord has forgotten me.”

15 “Can a woman forget her nursing child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you.
16 Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me.
 

Lyfe

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Messages
3,639
Zechariah 3:1-5

English Standard Version

A Vision of Joshua the High Priest

3 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan[a] standing at his right hand to accuse him. 2 And the Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, O Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand[b] plucked from the fire?” 3 Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. 4 And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” 5 And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord was standing by.



Revelation 12:9-10

English Standard Version




9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers[a] has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.



Romans 8:33-34

English Standard Version




33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.[a]


Psalm 37:32-33

English Standard Version


32 The wicked watches for the righteous
and seeks to put him to death.
33 The Lord will not abandon him to his power
or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
 

Dalit

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Messages
1,911
Prayer Answered with Crosses--John Newton
representative text

1 I asked the Lord that I might grow
in faith and love and ev'ry grace;
might more of his salvation know,
and seek more earnestly his face.
2 ’Twas he who taught me thus to pray,
and he, I trust, has answered pray'r,
but it has been in such a way
as almost drove me to despair.
3 I hoped that in some favored hour
at once he’d answer my request,
and by his love’s constraining pow’r
subdue my sins and give me rest.
4 Instead of this he made me feel
the hidden evils of my heart,
and let the angry pow’rs of hell
assault my soul in ev'ry part.
5 Yea more, with his own hand he seemed
intent to aggravate my woe,
crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
humbled my heart, and laid me low.
6 "Lord, why is this?" I, trembling, cried;
"Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?"
"Tis in this way," the Lord replied,
"I answer prayer for grace and faith.
7 "These inward trials I employ
from self and pride to set thee free,
and break thy schemes of earthly joy
that thou may’st find thy all in me."

Source: Trinity Psalter Hymnal #519


Maybe not the most uplifting, but gut-wrenchingly honest and true.
 

Lyfe

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Messages
3,639
Seek the LORD and his strength; seek his presence continually! Psalm 105:4

Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Psalm 96:6

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters.

But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God. 1 Samuel 30:6
 

Lyfe

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Messages
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I met a guy from Turkey this last summer who said that The Lord had called him here to the states. I remember him telling me about a dream he had where there were multitudes of people drowning and perishing in a body of water. He said that he only saw one man trying to acctually save them and grab as many as he could out of the water. The man he said he claimed to see was The Lord.

Now whether one believes in that or not it's sort of irrelevant, because its no secret that the gospel that can actually save these people Is not being preached anymore. People believe that all you have to do is be a good person to go to heaven. That's not at all what God's word teaches and the fact that so many people believe that is a testament to the times we are in and how churches no longer preach repentance or the gospel anymore. It's very sad....

2 Peter 3:9
King James Version
9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
 

JoChris

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Mar 15, 2017
Messages
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It is funny how such a simple thing like a stomach ache can lead to quick bible study rabbit trails.

The Book of Proverbs has a few verses on it. Book of Proverbs - belly results
What does it mean by inmost parts of the belly?

The viscera (heart, liver, kidneys) were supposed by the ancients to be the seat of the mind, feelings, affections: the highest organs of the psyche, "the soul." The term includes the intellect ("wisdom in the inward parts," Job 38:36); the moral nature ("inward part is very wickedness," Psalms 5:9); the spiritual ("my law in their inward parts," Jeremiah 31:33)....

I definitely need to consider my physical diet more carefully than when I was younger. Am I doing that with what I consume spiritually and mentally as well?

Food - and an encouragement for healthier spiritual digestion - for thought anyway.... :)
 

Lyfe

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Messages
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1 John 5:1-4
Amplified Bible
Overcoming the World
5 Everyone who believes [with a deep, abiding trust in the fact] that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed) is born of God [that is, reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose], and everyone who loves the Father also loves [a]the child born of Him. 2 By this we know [without any doubt] that we love the children of God: [expressing that love] when we love God and obey His commandments. 3 For the [true] love of God is this: that we habitually keep His commandments and remain focused on His precepts. And His commandments and His precepts are not difficult [to obey]. 4 For everyone born of God is victorious and overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has conquered and overcome the world—our [continuing, persistent] faith [in Jesus the Son of God].

1 John 5:12
Amplified Bible
12 He who has the Son [by accepting Him as Lord and Savior] has the life [that is eternal]; he who does not have the Son of God [by personal faith] does not have the life.
 

Lyfe

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Messages
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There’s a difference between a church member and a disciple. A disciple is someone who’s primary aim in life is to follow Jesus. A church member can be just somebody who has some religion, a respect for Jesus, attends church services, leads a “good” life. But I think, forgive me for saying this, one of God’s biggest problems in the world today is church members who are not disciples. - Derek Prince
 

Lyfe

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Romans 11:5-6
Amplified Bible
5 So too then, at the present time there has come to be a remnant [a small believing minority] according to God’s gracious choice. 6 But if it is by grace [God’s unmerited favor], it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace [it would not be a gift but a reward for works].
 
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