#sovereign grace

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

Sovereign grace is dear to those who have groaned deeply because they see what grievous sinners they are.

Charles Spurgeon

#sovereign grace #mourn #sin #Charles Spurgeon #Christian Quotes

[morfinwen]

Away in a manger a baby is born The Sovereign of heaven whom angels adore Is wrapped in the weakness of our mortal frame The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay

Away in a manger a servant is born Made nothing to raise up the hopeless and poor With grace as His burden and love as His yoke The gentle Lord Jesus will shepherd our souls

Away in a manger a Savior is born The crown He'll be given will pierce Him with thorns The King will be cursed with our sin and our shame The blameless Lord Jesus will die in our place

Away in a manger a Lion is born The darkness will tremble at His mighty roar His mercy will triumph and death will be slain The risen Lord Jesus forever will reign

All glory to Jesus forever We lift high the name of our Savior All glory to Jesus forever We lift high the name of our Savior

All glory to Jesus forever We lift high the name of our Savior All glory to Jesus forever We lift high the name of our Savior

#away in a manger (all glory to Jesus) #music #sovereign grace #merry christmas #i heard there was a secret chord #pretty #hark the herald angels queue

[notaplaceofhonour]

I was raised in the People of Destiny cult (later renamed, and more well-known as, Sovereign Grace Ministries, now Sovereign Grace Churches).

The valorization of martyrdom and The End Times was so ubiquitous it was ambient noise. We stood in the church lobby theorizing about who the antichrist would be, we argued about whether Jesus would rapture us all before, after, or during the Tribulation Period where Satan would be given free reign over the earth. There was a strong Christian Zionist fixation on Israel as the final battleground and capital of the coming Messianic Age. But the one thing we were all certain of was is that we were in the End Times, that we were not of this world and couldn’t get too attached to our lives here.

We were raised to believe our sin nature made us undeserving of life, that we deserved death and eternal conscious torture.

My parents read us the Jesus Freaks books (a series by Christian Rap group DC Talk about martyrs). I spent “devotional time” reading Fox’s Book of Martyrs. We had guest speakers from Voice of the Martyrs, their pamphlets were often stocked in our church’s information center. We grew up with our dad listening to right wing talk radio and making us listen to songs about how the Godless atheists were outlawing Christianity in America, that we could all become martyrs soon.

The group’s theology was damaging & traumatic in a lot of other ways that contributed to the suicidality I have continued to struggle with for the rest of my life. For a long time I did not believe I would live past 20. There are times when the idea of giving my death meaning by using public suicide to make a political statement has appealed to me.

So now, seeing so many social media posts glorifying the suicide of a US Airman this week, I have been furious. Reading his social media posts, I recognize so much about the way I was raised in his all-or-nothing, black-or-white mindset, the valorization of death-seeking & martyrdom, and the apocalyptic fire-and-brimstone imagery of self-immolation. The moment I saw people I followed celebrating his self-immolation, I said to myself “this feels like a cult”

So when I learned he was raised in a cult too, nothing could have made more sense to me. His political orientation may have changed, but his mindset did not—it was no less extreme or cult-like.

I’ve talked about so many of the reasons this response from the broader left scares me, including how it’s laundering that airman’s antisemitic beliefs, but I cannot think of anything that would hit me in a more personal place than this specific response to this specific situation has.

When I see the images, I think: that could have been me. That scares me, and what scares me more is that so many prominent people are overwhelmingly sending the message to people like me that there is nothing else we can do that would have a more meaningful impact than killing ourselves for the cause.

I do not believe that. I will not even entertain it. And having to see his death over and over and over again, to argue against people who are treating this like an intellectual/moral exercise or a valid debate we all have to consider has been immensely triggering and fills me with a rage I rarely feel. It’s unconscionable that we are even putting self-harm on the table, and that pushing back against that is somehow controversial.

There is hope. Our lives do have meaning. There are far more effective means of fighting injustice. And the world is a better place for having you in it. Don’t fall into believing this is a way to give life purpose.

#he was raised in a different cult than me but there is significant overlap in the Community of Jesus & People of Destiny worldviews #EDIT: I originally said the Tribulations were ‘7 1/2’ years but this was me confusing the ‘a time times & half a time’ from Daniel #with the idea of a 7 year tribulation #it’s been forever and a lifetime since I lived in that world so the exact theological details can be hazy #death cult shit #extremely traumatic content #i/p #cw suicide #religious trauma #cw trauma #antisemitism #pdi international #people of destiny cult #sgm cult #sovereign grace cult #christian cult #cult survivor #death cult #evangelical ​apocalypticism #exvangelical

[brotherbandarchive]

Jesper takes a deep breath. “The treasure room was completely unguarded, all right? I mean- all right, maybe there were a few men at the entrance, but they weren’t paying any attention to me. I found this old thing half-squashed under a pile of bird cages or something, thought I could sell the stones for a few kroner- actually, I thought they were glass at first-”

Thorn raises an eyebrow.

“I’m getting to the point, Thorn, don’t rush me. Anyway, long story short, one of the guards woke up, he caught me with the thing, he started screaming, the other guards woke up, and it turns out this old piece of scrap metal is a priceless coronet that got lost during the reign of their first king. They had this whole prophecy about it, you know? So I fix it up for them, polish it and everything, easy- and next thing I know, I'm-"

Edvin nods. "His Most Ineffable and Sublime Excellency Jesper the Magnificent, Grand Herald and Sovereign Arbiter of the Exalted Beryl Coronet, Illuminator of the Kingdom's Resplendent Virtues, Pinnacle of Majesty, Beacon of Nobility, and Lord Paramount of the Realm, whose Unassailable Honor and Incomparable Grace transcend the bounds of mortal comprehension."

Stig lets out a low whistle of amazement. No one is sure if it's because of Jesper's story or Edvin's memory.

“Well, diplomatic sallies should be a breeze now,” Hal says slowly. “We’ve got the Royal Beacon of Sublime Paramount or whatever you’re called on our side already.”

Thorn crosses his arms. “There won’t be any diplomatic sallies until His Most Inadvertently Regal Eminence finishes the dishwashing back at camp.”

Jesper sighs deeply. 

#brotherband chronicles #the brotherband chronicles #brotherband #jesper stormrunner #edvin hopebringer #thorn hookyhand #stig olafson #stig ironskin #hal mikkelson #His Most Ineffable and Sublime Excellency Jesper the Magnificent #Grand Herald and Sovereign Arbiter of the Exalted Beryl Coronet #Illuminator of the Kingdom's Resplendent Virtues #Pinnacle of Majesty #Beacon of Nobility #and Lord Paramount of the Realm #whose Unassailable Honor and Incomparable Grace transcend the bounds of mortal comprehension

[theboookwitch]

Any former evangelical cult kids also read this book as a child? I somehow (against my will) learned about the like “trad wife” aesthetic that’s apparently been growing in popularity, and it made memories of this fucking book resurface (also against my will).

I’m currently 32 and we read this book when I was like 12. We had a whole book club with all the “coming of age” girls and we studied this together to learn how to be good, pure godly girls so that we could please our future husbands and be the perfect wives and mothers. I was kind of a black sheep in my church bc i was one of a few girls who wanted to go to college and I also considered loud and rebellious and I like grew up brawling with the boys my age (Gideon Burnett, if I ever see you, I’m beating your ass). I never fully subscribed to like being a Titus 2/Proverbs 31 woman and I didn’t want to get married till I was like 25 - which was ancient in that child bride emporium where everyone didn’t kiss till their wedding days and got married at 18 (I kissed dating goodbye, anyone?).

I’m fully rambling but this tradwife shit has me so livid and concerned and honestly a little triggered. Being raised that way has been so extremely detrimental and I just can’t wrap my head around people doing it for the aesthetic.

#beautiful girlhood #evangelicals #ex christian #cults #sovereign Grace church #reformed Calvinism #calvinism #tradwife #religious trauma #homeschool #christian cult

[baptist-denominations-poll]

Original Free Will Baptist Convention

Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada

Photo: Tilbury Regular Baptist Church, Tilbury, Ontario (SGFC)

#poll #Original Free Will Baptist Convention #Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada

[loadsofcats]

These live in my head rent free

#I tell them to myself every once in a while #tell em my thane #snap your excellency #slay esteemed sovereign #pop of my liege #send it your highness #fuck em up your grace #(<-love this one) #get it your majesty #go off your eminence #gender neutral things to slay queen/yass king #gender neutral forms of yas queen/king #(i always forget) #useful #saying #it talks #me #oh mood #same dude same #Thoughts #royalty (not for the guillotine) #i sometimes mix these up for funsies

[emcads]

Hey! Just wondering… would it be weird if someone decided to make an oc that’s literally the queen of an European country just to pull a “Grace ‘O Malley and Queen Elizabeth” with your absolutely fabulous pirate-queen Esmeralda? :) (just asking for a friend!)

wouldn't be weird at all ! more than open to working with that kind of dynamic, hmu in discord or im's <;3

#✘; letters ( answered ) #✘; i have seventy two exams and i have not studied for one ( ooc ) #✘; the world is gnawed by nameless things ( anonymous ) #you get points for your pirate history knowledge lmao #calling o'malley a pirate is contentious maybe bc she was a sovereign ruler but like ... maritime enemies of england are always #called pirates anyways regardless of ''legitimacy'' #murat reis 🤝 grace o'malley: famous pirates that aren't really pirates bc they're seen as less sovereign than england but #nonetheless deserve to be recognized as badass anti-england maritime resistors and pirate is the title that fits that best

[n-x-black]

nun touya

#n ; thoughts #(thing im. writing rn) #anthea and concordia: omg .. he doesnt know about the grace of god ? we must teach him ... #touya: help me #n: (fighting for his life and sovereign right to oppress people) #its a mess <3

[readerviews]

"You Are a Sovereign Woman of Strength, Love, and Grace" by Elizabeth Upton

Begin your Empowering Journey Today #books #bookreview #reading #readerviews

You Are a Sovereign Woman of Strength, Love, and Grace Elizabeth UptonThe Silver Woman of Fire Press (2024)ISBN: 979-8218294175Reviewed by Tammy Ruggles (02/2024) “You Are a Sovereign Woman of Strength, Love, and Grace: Embrace Your Journey” by Elizabeth Upton is a beautiful and positive way to encourage, enlighten, and embrace yourself in your quest to find out who you are as a woman. This…

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#Book Review #Elizabeth Upton #Embrace Your Journey #Reader Views #The Silver Woman of Fire Press #You Are a Sovereign Woman of Strength Love and Grace

[tiand]

"It Is Well With My Soul" by Sovereign Grace Music

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#Sovereign Grace Music #Youtube

[officialyourdailyinspiration]

How Great (Psalm 145) • Official Video Sovereign Grace Music | Runtime: 4mins 5secs

#Sovereign Grace Music #How Great (Psalm 145) #Youtube #video #worship music #singing the Psalms

[morfinwen]

How low was our Redeemer brought, the King who held the stars Lay helpless in a maiden's arms and pressed against her heart While sheep and cattle raised their voice the babe could speak no words The ever flowing Spring of Joy had come to share our thirst

How low was our Redeemer brought, the Lord the worlds obeyed Would stumble as He learned to walk upon the ground He'd made The One the angels bowed before would kneel to wash our feet And be at home among the poor though He owned everything

Gloria, gloria in the highest Gloria, gloria in the highest

How low was our Redeemer brought to raise us from our shame And now the highest praise of all belongs to Jesus' name The Healer wounded on a tree to bear our grief and sin The King gave up His crown so we could ever reign with Him

Gloria, gloria in the highest Gloria, gloria in the highest Gloria, gloria in the highest Gloria, gloria in the highest Gloria, gloria in the highest Gloria, gloria in the highest Gloria, gloria in the highest Gloria, gloria in the highest

How low was our Redeemer brought to raise us from our shame And now the highest praise of all belongs to Jesus' name

#how low was our redeemer brought #sovereign grace #merry christmas #music #pretty #hark the herald angels queue

[bethf1300]

The Paradox of the Incarnation

Indeed, the mystery of godliness is certainly great: He was revealed in the flesh, and vindicated in the spirit; he appeared to angels, and was announced to Gentiles; he was believed in the world, and taken up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16 NTFE What is the paradox of the incarnation? I wrote about how Jesus reveals the Living God in a previous post. Through the incarnation, the Invisible and…

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#God Came Near #How Low Was Our Redeemer Brought #incarnation #longing for God #Max Lucado #paradox #Sovereign Grace Music

[heartofashepherd]

The Life and Death of a Saint (Psalm 115; Psalm 116)

#youtube #Creator LORD Sovereign Evolution Idols gods Grace Mercy Salvation Death Life

[baptist-denominations-poll]

Confessional Baptist Association

Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada

Image: Grace Covenant Church, Gilbert, Arizona

#Confessional Baptist Association #Sovereign Grace Fellowship of Canada