Yes, it certainly has multiple applications. There are four things going on here:

1. Church Offices, such as Pastor, Elder, and Deacon, which must adhere to the system of doctrine the denomination believes the Bible teaches.

2. Church employees, which are not office holders, but who the church ought to be able to hire or not hire based upon how closely that church believes they ought to adhere to the system of doctrine.

3. Church membership, which is formally coming under the authority of a particular church, and the only requirement is a credible profession of faith.

4. Attendance at a particular church without membership, which ought not to be barred for anyone, regardless of what they believe. However, this does not necessarily apply to what they look like, or rather how they present themselves. If someone shows up in their birthday suit, they're getting turned away, sorry.

Yes, it certainly has multiple applications. There are four things going on here:

1. Church Offices, such as Pastor, Elder, and Deacon, which must adhere to the system of doctrine the denomination believes the Bible teaches.

2. Church employees, which are not office holders, but who the church ought to be able to hire or not hire based upon how closely that church believes they ought to adhere to the system of doctrine.

3. Church membership, which is formally coming under the authority of a particular church, and the only requirement is a credible profession of faith.

4. Attendance at a particular church without membership, which ought not to be barred for anyone, regardless of what they believe. However, this does not necessarily apply to what they look like, or rather how they present themselves. If someone shows up in their birthday suit, they're getting turned away, sorry.

Keep your mute list strong 💪

We need a healthier failure culture.

About the cannon fodder, no i don't think so. Russia is not soviet union and they also had a population decline since 1991 after the collapse. Moreover they don't want to have big losses of personnel like they did in world war two. That's why they conduct the war the way they do. Yes they can deploy more soldiers than Ukraine, but that's it.

What i don't know is who will pay more in such a situation. Will USA bleed more financially or Russia?

I have found this quote to be most useful from A.A. Hodge:

"In all churches a distinction is made between the terms upon which private members are admitted to membership, and the terms upon which office-bearers are admitted to their sacred trusts of teaching and ruling. A Church has no right to make anything a condition of membership which Christ has not made a condition of salvation. The Church is Christ’s fold. The sacraments are seals of his covenant. All have a right to claim admittance who make a credible profession of the true religion--that is, who are presumptively the people of Christ. This credible profession of course involves a competent knowledge of the fundamental doctrine of Christianity--a declaration of personal faith in Christ and consecration to his service, and a temper of mind and habit consistent therewith. On the other hand, no man can be inducted into any office in any Church who does not profess to believe in the truth and wisdom of the constitution and laws which it will be his duty to conserve and administer. Otherwise all harmony of sentiment and all efficient co-operation in action would be impossible."

#biblestr

If you were Russia, would you like this to be true or not?

Just got into a car accident, I was driving down a driveway and this dude just pulled out of park without signal or anything and hit the side of my car, scratched it up pretty good. Fucking NY drivers 🤦🏼‍♀️

Idk

CuZ we ain't even leaving this land 😂

Get new gas and electricity contracts. Soooo much cheaper, now.

I'm counting.

The flight has changed boarding gate 4 times already and delayed twice.

Gallantry only means something in the case where the one on the recieving end is worthy of said gallantry. Many make themselves unworthy of the effort. IMO.

Women ask it to each other constantly.

Goodnight #catstr

At least the house in Kellyville looks like the buyer could move in tomorrow. There's a YouTube channel where the guy says something like "this is what 6 mlion will buy you in Sydney" then proceeds to show you a house that should be torn down on 300ms squared. 🙄🙄 He does a whole bunch of places just like that, it's kind of wild.

I’ve got a running thread with some of the more outlandish sales in Aus: nostr:note1e4gu3g8hanesren3cnu62gvkh5hjwmlalz94esyn6emd8006cwusswz5dt

$4-$5 million is their house, the house they own which their daughter lives in in the next suburb, and I know they’ve got a holiday home but haven’t seen it.

Ahaha LOL I didn't see the OP. I guess just your question popped up.

Well after living abroad 10 months out of last year in 2 either 3rd world country or underdeveloped as they could be labled... I began to breathe differently just getting at the gate to come back to the US and seeing americans. I was so incredibly relieved landing in LA (and kind you I've lived in LA and was so not my vibe).

Then it hit me in conversation with my Uber driver who had not gone back to Azerbaijan for 9 years due to visa limitations and missed his family... but when I asked him if he likes it here he was like "what do you mean, I love it here. I don't have to deal with 3rd world stuff".

Then It hit me... considering I lived in a third world country the first 20 years of my life, and suddenly I spent all of last year in such... the reason I immediately felt spaciousness was because the heavy thick survival stress induced aura of a third world country's existence reality was no longer looming over me and in my field.

I love America and I am happy to be here.

Socialist vs Individualist - a short story.

My neighbours are socialist Boomers. They still have their “Yes” sign up on the front fence from last years failed referendum, and I learned to avoid politics (Greens voters) in our chitchat because I know we disagree.

Recently they got a letter from my landlord complaining about a tree overhanging my fence - I told them not to worry about it because I’m not bothered by it, a small patch of dead grass in the back corner from its shade isn’t a concern. They were thankful for that as it would clearly be a pain to cut and cost a bit to get an arborist in; we’re on generally good terms despite our differences.

Anyway today I awoke to a beaten up car blocking our shared driveway. I had a look inside and it looks like someone living rough, but it doesn’t appear to be abandoned.

The car is completely blocking my car but the neighbours were able to squeeze their Tesla out past it.

So I came out for a delivery after they’d just returned with the lady Boomer on her phone looking up the council’s number. She was about to call them to get it towed and I asked her to please stop and just wait a bit. The fella just says “I want it gone” 😂

Anyway I talked them off the ledge and said wait til this evening, it could be someone at work and I don’t need my car today so let’s not cause this person any more problems. They grumblingly agreed.

So my individualist arse seeing this situation wanted to give this car owner the benefit of the doubt and avoid having what looks to be all their possessions seized with a massive fine to get them back.

The socialists who virtue signal about helping others, who are not inconvenienced as I am, wanted to have the state intervene and have this clearly poor person go through the cost and stress of dealing with them to get their stuff back.

These were just mine and their natural reactions to a situation. Thought it interesting that their supposed “empathy” went out the window the second there’s an eyesore out the front and they reverted straight to Gov intervention with no self-awareness for what it might mean for this person, especially given the way they vote is essentially to take money from people like me to give to people like this..

Once mine hit about 8 they started asking questions, and were very excited to receive answers that weren't the droning Woke catechism they receive at school. Its easier than it looks. And then there are friends, family and possibly church mentors.

I also try to teach them where they can pirate long-form books and journal articles to find evidence-based but unfashionable expert opinions on their own. I've been less successful in that, they prefer asking peers or Youtube :

( But maybe once they're teenagers...? Or maybe no one today has the pre-internet boredom levels required to read?)

The west, even with all of it's problems, is still the best in my opinion.

There's no place on earth I'd rather live than the US and I have the resources to move to any country I want.

And even if I did want to live in another country, it would definitely be a western one.

We have work to do, but I'm not ready to forsake the west in favor of something worse.

Pass.