“For centuries, those translating the Word of God from the Greek and Hebrew texts have recognised the great responsibility they have in producing accurate versions of the Bible, in which nothing can be added or omitted. They knew that it would be no easy task: these Greek and Hebrew scholars knew that they could not always translate one word with another single word. They also knew that there would be occasions in which a different word might be used instead of the ones that they chose. Therefore, these translators decided that, when a word or words had to be added so that the English reader could understand what the Greek and Hebrew words meant, they would add those words in italic type.”
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‘Cambridge Dictionary has been accused of giving in to “woke activists” by changing its definition of “woman” to be inclusive of those who identify as transgender.
The updated definition for the word “woman” now states in its secondary characterization that the term describes “an adult who lives and identifies as female, though they may have been said to have a different sex at birth.”’https://www.faithwire.com/2022/12/13/cambridge-dictionary-bows-to-woke-activists-changes-definition-of-woman/?inid=5f29ebc0-7f5b-eb11-b823-005056af0da1
The China Virus was the beginning of the end for many if not most of those freedoms we in the West have been accustom to. If Biden and that other person win the WH watch your free speech (especially conservative speech) go out the window and become hate speech if it doesn’t fit the government’s speech criteria just like in China!
‘A 37-year-old journalist may face five years in prison in China for spreading ‘misinformation’ about the government’s response to the virus, The Guardian has reported.
Zhang Zhan, was arrested over six months ago for “picking quarrels and stirring up trouble” and is currently detained in Shanghai.
Zhan is being detained in China along with numerous other journalists, all in government custody for reporting on the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan.
China is indicting Zhan on several counts, including sending “false information through text, video and other media such as WeChat, Twitter and Youtube,” and “[accepting] interviews from overseas media Free Radio Asia and Epoch Times,” according to the official prosecution papers.
Zhan is also accused of “maliciously [speculating] on Wuhan’s Covid-19 epidemic,” likely referring to her vocalized skepticism of China’s official Covid-19 numbers.
Alongside these indictments, Zhan exposed various detentions of other journalists who were attempting to report on the coronavirus in Wuhan, according to the Chinese Human Rights Defenders (CHRD).
This is not Zhan’s first time being detained for “stirring up trouble,” according to the report.’https://www.foreigndesknews.com/journalist-detained-in-china-for-reporting-on-covid-19/
If President Trump is not the next President China will be your Master!
‘Under Old Testament law, vulgarity was forbidden and the penalty was serious. “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
Under grace, the standard for such speech is even higher. It extends to any words that have the slightest bent toward disrespect of God’s name, vulgarity, swearing, and even vain repetition. In setting a higher standard, Jesus said that committing such an act in the heart is the same as actually doing it. (Matthew 5:29) The epistles overflow with commands saying that questionable speech and vulgarity do not belong in the mouths of the saints. Paul tells us that if we rein in our thoughts, we can guard our words against those things that offend a holy God.
“Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (II Corinthians 10:5)
With all this in mind, can you tell me why our present world is covered with a tidal wave of vulgarity? The offense is multiplied when humans, made in the image of God, actually defend the right to be foul mouthed! A celebration of vulgarity.
WHO SHOULD BE SURPRISED?
A foul mouth 
rises from a corrupt, putrid heart. We are surprised when a wicked heart is polite, kind, reasonable, and gentle in speech. It does happen. The reader has learned by now that I leave the devotional ministry, in the main, to my other friends; and they do well with it. My task, however, is to be a truth teller; and even believers are uncomfortable with truth in plain speech. Let’s be clear about this. Any heart that has rejected Christ as Savior is “wicked”. It has committed the most heinous sin that can be committed. The murder of the unborn and sodomy are wicked acts, but rejection of the Son of God, His deity, and His virgin birth are the height of wickedness. That is why liberalism is a wicked movement. It is why the majority of people you know are wicked. That is why some politicians, judges, and business men and women are wicked. So, when they vent their wickedness through their foul mouths, it is only a confession of just how evil they are. We are obligated to remember that God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son. We are commanded to remember that God hates all sin, both small and great. While we are commanded to love all mankind, we must hate what God hates.
IMMERSED IN A WORLD OF VULGARITY
It is everywhere – news, radio, television, printed media, and our own communities. Spirit-filled Christians are buried in verbal filth at work, school, and out in public. No-one seems to care that God has forbidden such low-level conversation. If we go out for a special dinner, the conversation at the next table often turns to garbage. Try enjoying a night with the family at a special sports event -there is an onslaught of offensive language on all four sides. How many times have you been driving somewhere and encountered vulgar warfare between drivers or pedestrians? We live in a world where many people have the morals of a “junk-yard dog” with language to match. If you want a real eyeful or earful, go to social media. If you try to have a reasonable discussion, some liberal will bust in with a string of vulgarity that only demonstrates that he doesn’t have the slightest idea of what an answer should be… but he sure knows how to cuss!
You get the point: it’s a bad world out there. Let me ask you a question: Is there anything God’s people can do when buried in such despicable situations? There are times when it is best to be silent. In the vulgar world, people have been known to become violent if they think you are “judging” them. We know what Jesus did under such temptation; He quoted scripture. Many of you do that on Facebook. We can try a reasonable answer, but that usually doesn’t work with people who have rejected truth as a way of thinking. We probably don’t think of praying for depraved people, but that might be the first thing that should come to our mind. Of course, you could isolate yourself and pretend it is not really happening; but remember that “Silence isn’t always golden; sometimes it is just plain yellow!” Of course, you could side with the perpetrator and defend him/her by attacking the person who brought up the subject of holiness and truth.
THIS IS WHAT REALLY HURTS
It is so easy to pick on the children of the devil. In case you have forgotten, anyone who is not a child of God through faith in Christ is a child of the devil. That is the reason why they lie, cheat, steal, and communicate with vulgarity.
Would someone please explain why there is so much vulgarity flowing from the mouths, pens, and keyboards of those who call themselves Christians? You can see it for yourself. Go to Facebook right now, and see how many vulgar words are being used by those you think are believers. Sure, they think hiding vulgarity in code (OMG, etc.) is not the same thing. Shame on anyone who tries to defend “hidden swearing”. If I were an unbeliever, I sure would not be impressed with the fact that your foul language is just like mine.
You sure wouldn’t expect to hear this kind of language at church, right? Then you might want to listen a bit more carefully. Have you listened carefully to the conversations of teens? What boggles my mind is that several “evangelical gurus” have been championing vulgar language inside their messages and teaching. It may get some laughs, but it is not funny. Teaching others to sin does not set well with a holy God. Those who feel free to abuse grace hate it when their feet are held to the fire. When they are angry about the message, they attack the messenger. That is an old liberal trick.
APPLICATION
This seems like an impossible task. How do we get rid of this plague? In our own lives, we follow the commandment “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation”.
(I Peter 1:15) Since God lives within us, the answer is that His holiness makes it possible for us to live His holiness out in our living and speech. That means we don’t defend vulgarity in our lives or in the lives of others. Remember – silence is approval.’ https://shepherdstaff.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/vulgarity-celebrated/
WHO GETS TO DEFINE SIN
“The answer to this question has to do with who your God is. For the true believer, this has to be the Sovereign Creator God. He is the spiritual Father of all who truly believe. If you are not a true believer, your God is man and your father is the devil, the father of lies.
The first problem here is that, in the circle of professing Christians, you are likely to end up with a variety of definitions. That is because, on the right, “externalists” have put things into the Bible text that were not there originally. On the left, the “libertines” simply reject what the Bible does clearly define. The first question is “Who is right?” The answer is that only God is right, and His definitions are in the Bible text. They were placed there by divine inspiration and are true. They are clearly understood only when the reader approaches the text with the one biblical hermeneutic.
THE HAZING OF AMERICA
In our nation, the definition of sin and wrong has been forcibly changed. The most egregious of sin and wickedness is now celebrated by those who control education, government, economy, entertainment, sports and, sadly, the professing church. How did this happen?
In his book, Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania, the author, Erick Larson, records a terrible truth from the past. It is a clear statement of where our own nation is today.Captain Reginald Hall is described and quoted on page 350 of the book. He visited Germany and Austria in 1934. Ever the intelligence man, he reported his observations about the National Socialist movement to the government. He also described his experience to a friend in America. “All the young are in the net,” he wrote; “anyone who tried to keep out of being a Nazi is hazed till they change their mind; a form of mass cruelty which exists only in such a country.” He added, “It will sometime soon be the duty of HUMAN BEINGS to deal with a mad dog. When that time comes, your people will have to take their share.”
By using federal education (falsely called public education), the minds of generations have blindly accepted “liberal, progressive socialism”. It has created a nation of intellectual pagans who support everything they believe with lies. They are expert at turning truth into lies and lies into truth.
To ensure that everyone follows their “lie pact”, anyone who disagrees has been, is, and will be “hazed”. They are made persona non-grata, ridiculed, punished, and dismissed from the public sector. The socialism described by Hall is the very same destructive, liberal, progressive socialism being forced on this nation. If you want an example, all you have to do is turn on the liberal media for one day.
This process of making sin acceptable may begin with redefining words, but it continues with derogatory name calling. If you have any sense of godliness, you are called homophobic, Islamophobic, etc. Political correctness only adds to the hazing. Change your speech, fall in line, be silent about what you believe – or else. This plan ultimately includes legal and physical force until you submit to the wicked ideas of liberal, progressive socialism.
TELL ME IT ISN’T SO
The church in America should be first in line to speak strongly to the definition of sin that God has given us in His Word. The liberal church has long ago turned its back on the clear statements of God. Sadly, this has given momentum to the paganizing of America. With a low view of scripture, this group has become complicit in the removal of God’s moral standards.
Mainline evangelical church leaders have simply hid in the shadow of liberalism. For whatever motive, they hold their silence; and their pronouncements find them guilty of teaching people to sin. It seems that if a person is very good at communicating he gets a pass on what they are communicating. Anyone who challenges one of these popular gurus is subject to “hazing”.
Without any shame, the Emergent, Emerging, and now Millennial churches are on a dead run to leave God’s standard for holiness in the dust. It is no wonder that these churches ignore or offend basic doctrines. The way one lives always rises from what he believes. The more you degrade the Bible and its pure doctrine, the easier it is to throw off moral and righteous constraints. If anyone dares challenge this moral runaway, they are “hazed” with words like “legalist”. It is no wonder that cults have found a place to hide among these movements.
WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?
In the end, the biblical church must bear some fault for this. Almost everyone you talk to, it seems, has their head in the sand. They want no part of truth when it brings conflict and rejection. Silence is the watchword when it comes to what is happening in our own world. Remember that “silence is not always golden; sometimes it is just plain yellow”. Leaders tend to hide behind things like “political” and deny that we have responsibility to speak the truth on every subject, even outside the pulpit. It is true that much of the problem is ignorance; leaders often simply don’t know. A careful reading of Acts 20 will help with that problem.
Paul’s words in his two letters to pastor Timothy make all this very clear. He was not afraid to speak the truth, no matter what the consequences. Timothy was instructed not to cut corners, run and hide, or be silent about what God has said. Paul made it clear that people would not listen and would reject the truth, but that did not mean this young pastor should be silent.
It appears that the silence of those who have the truth in this country has cost us deeply. Religious and theological games are very expensive. If we had preached the gospel fearlessly, taught sound doctrine with passion, and clearly defined the holiness of God and His instruction in the Word, things might have been different.
THAT’S NOT A CHURCH
You will have to wait for the February, 2017, Shepherd’s Staff for this, but we don’t expect much from those who aren’t really churches. They really don’t disappoint us, but the real churches are those we look to for truth and sacrificial effort to do battle and define the wickedness of this hour. These pastors will give an account in due time. (Hebrews 13:17)”
whatyareckon 