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In section 7 of the GA agenda, page B-49, it states: “That all Church of God pastors and ministers be encouraged to qualify doctrinally all ministers, speakers, teachers, and musicians who stand before Church of God congregations in worship settings, o…

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There are many, many Bible apps and websites out there. Which ones are the ones that you use most? What is it about them that you like? Have you run across some that should be avoided? I think sharing these resources could be helpful to someone looking for more.

I will start with a few I like:

On my iPhone, I have e-Sword LT as my top resource. Supports multiple versions, has commentaries and dictionaries, and for on the go a really good resource. I have it installed on my computer as well. I think it is only a few bucks on the App Store.

Great free resources:

  • biblegateway.com is great for reading in multiple translations.
  • stepbible.org is very helpful, I use it a lot.
  • I also use blueletterbible.org a lot, the study tools there are very good.
  • netbible.org is the online version of the New English Translation and has extensive translation notes which can be very helpful.

Recently, I have dipped my toe into Logos, which is a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get used to it is quite powerful. They give out a free book every month. Some of them are good, some are meh. I have bought some books on there and the way you can search resources on that platform is powerful. Of course, Logos is free to use, but to get the most out of it you’ll have to shell out some dollars. I would be interested to hear if anyone has dove in and bought a package and what their experience with it is.

I don’t recall running across any that should be out-right avoided but as a general rule, we should allow the Holy Spirit to guide us away from bad resources and towards good ones.

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For a long time, I was not really King James Only, but I was a King James elitist. I thought other translations were fine, but the KJV was the gold standard. After spending some time looking into other translations, how translations were made, textual criticism, etc., I un-elevated the KJV and accepted that there are a wide range of really great, reliable translations.

The KJV has one kind of glaring issue, many of the English words in that translation are either no longer in use or don’t mean the same thing that they used to.

My preferred translations are NKJV and ESV.

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We often hear people pining for the “good old days” of the church. Everyone has a story of how the power of God used to fall in our services, where healings and miracles were the rule rather than the exception. Scripture is clear that God does not chan…

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Why is it, that on this forum, the posts that are sensational about happenings in the CoG, generally speaking, get more attention than posts over theological/doctrinal/Christian life? Thoughts?

I am relatively new to this forum. I don’t have an account on the old system, but I have read many threads over there. There are exceptions, but mostly this forum seems to be folks complaining about things going on the denomination. I am not saying I don’t share in some of those concerns, and that we shouldn’t voice the concerns. It just feels like we’re forgetting that people we disagree with are still Christian brothers in Christ.

Any denomination (or non-denomination for that matter) is going to have issues, and no matter what group you might be a part of, you’re not going to like something that is going on. I am a CoG pastor, and I disagree with some things, and I don’t like some things that have happened, even to me within our denomination, but praise the Lord, we’re not a denomination that is even remotely close to going the way of other denominations like the United Methodist Church. We believe in the authority of Scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. A lot of denominations are going the way of the world, but the CoG is not one.

Here is an example: I posted a question a few days ago about tithing, that got one response. It is a genuine question seeking answers. The posts since then have been about things going on in the church at large and are sensational, and they have a lot more comment. Is that what this forum is for, or should we be spending even more time being “iron that sharpens iron”?

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