User:Jzyehoshua
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My primary profile is at http://myspace.com/jzyehoshua
My name is Joshua David Zambrano, born August 8th, 1984, and born again by God's grace to me, undeserving of it, August 5, 1998. Without Jesus, I have nothing. I am now always the example for God I should be. But I live every minute knowing how He has changed my life. He lifted all the shame and guilt off my heart that day, and I really haven't ever been the same since. He has convicted my heart so that I have left behind whole ways of life, sometimes throwing out books or other items physically, and leaving behind depression and violence and other things once a part of who I was. God's ways really do work. Even when all the philosophy and doctrine and apologetics are said and done with, there's no way to discount God's very real changing of lives, including my own.
As far as beliefs:
- I believe in the complete reliability of the Bible in its original manuscripts and that God is powerful enough not only to divinely inspire but also to divinely preserve His primary instructions and directions to the human race, the Bible. I believe we are created to share in a relationship with God and that the purpose of all life is to love God and love others. Until we live for someone other then ourselves, our lives are not worth living at all. I believe our culture confuses lust (self-gratification) with love (other-gratification). The test is sacrifice, for it shows whether we are seeking to please ourselves or do what is best for the other person. And Jesus is the ultimate example.
- I believe the Bible true when it says salvation is not attained by good works (Ephesians 2:8-10) or through many other misconceptions like legalistic following of all commandments, living a "good" life, going to a certain church, being baptized with water, saying some ritualist prayer, going through some ceremony, or even being called a Christian or accepted as one by certain people. God sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7) and is not fooled like people can be (Galatians 6:7) by external prayers or rituals where the heart is not sincere. Salvation is when God literally changes our hearts to make us new people on the inside, when we Admit we are sinners who need to change (Luke 13:3), Believe Jesus died and rose again so by trusting in His payment made for us we might be saved (John 3:16), and Confess Him to be our Lord and Saviour (Romans 10:8-10). [acrostic intended] The words are not what matters, but the heart's sincerity in following God.
- I believe the Bible solidly supported by archeology, fulfilled prophecies, bibliographical evidence (see ch. 4), God's evident working to change people, and simple logic. I believe as Acts 17:11 says, that those who question what the Bible says so long as they do so with an open mind and an earnesty to know "whether those things were so" are indeed "noble". I have a tendency to get involved in apologetics, and admit I can get prideful or even focused on things not most important. While I try to live for God I struggle with lust, pride, and envy like anyone else. Differences are that God now helps me overcome these things and by leaning on Him I can have victory. I am right inside and my heart is without the burden of shame and guilt I always lived with. I have everything that matters through Jehovah, through Jesus, my Saviour and my God.
- I am not a Republican or a Democrat. I am a long-time opponent of the Iraq War and refused to vote for Bush in the first presidential election which I was legally old enough to vote in, 2004, precisely because I did not believe in voting for a "lesser evil". I voted against Kerry as well because I am solidly against abortion and other Democratic issues. I voted for Peroutka of the Constitution party, which I still believe in supporting, not only because of its focus on moral issues I believe in, but also economic ones as well. I recognize no amount of good laws is a substitute for the changes that need to happen in human hearts finding eternal life through Jesus, but also believe in serving my country through standing up against what I believe is destroying it, and what I believe God will ultimately punish it for.
- I do NOT believe in religion. I have a bad tendency to emphasize the difference between Catholocism's formal beliefs and what the Bible teaches in almost all areas of doctrine, but the truth is... Even real Christians (not in name only) risk falling away from God. And even a denomination with all its doctrine right (if it were possible) does not mean all or even most of its members are Christians. In the book of James, it says even the devils have an intellectual faith in God, and tremble. Mere knowledge is not enough, but a real heart change that only God can see... yet is evidenced by the "fruits" of your life. A heart change should produce life change, in words, actions, and especially how we treat other people. We should forgive and not grudge, do good to those who hurt us, give freely, love our enemies, etc. I try not to stress religion, but relationship with God.
- I recognize many wrongs have been done in the name of Christianity. But that non-religious countries like Russia and China (who have laws against religious activity) are so intolerant shows the problem is not religion or faith in God, but mankind's depraved nature, which will use anything and everything as an excuse. I am often quick to point out Catholocism did those things while Christians like the Anabaptists, Waldenses, and others who stood up for Biblical principles like pacifism and loving one's enemies were admittedly (by the RCC) slaughtered by the Catholic Church for 1200 years or so. I do not believe Catholocism carried on Christianity, needless to say. But I need to be more frank in pointing out any denomination or so-called Christian organization can fall away from Christ whatever its doctrines should it get focused anywhere other then Christ.
