WAS CONSTANTINE WRONG?

Is it possible that Constantine was a sincere seeker after the things of God, but that he was deceived by a vision of a christian symbol (approximately) and a voice giving the message "by this sign conquer"?

Jesus had said "My kingdom is not of this world". Paul said, "we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers in. . . " Also, Paul said (in Romans 13) ,"pray for those in authority over you."

If we christians can agree that constantine was wrong though sincere, maybe we can tell the world that we have followed a sincere but deceived individual just as we (some of us) consider mohamed to have been.

I WOULD BE ALL THINGS . . . continued

about the letter i want to send to andrew wommack,
reference passages are:
MATTHEW 3:15
MATTHEW 5:17,18
1 CORINTHIANS 9:19-20

i would be all things to all people that i might draw some to Christ

1st CORINTHIANS 9:22b
(i think)
I had written about this verse earlier.
I write again because I feel I must write Andrew Wommack, a Bible teacher that I think much of.
He is going to teach a series on how, as Christians, we can give intelligent answers to skeptics.
I want to give Bro. Wommack my humble opinion that we, when we try to convince others, must fufill those things that are considered righteous by the hearers unless, of course, it goes against God. That verse is one that I refer to for my reasoning on this.

PURPORTEDLY

[THIS IS A DRAFT FROM A FEW MONTHS AGO]this week in the news has been coverage of a man who had much authority in a college sports program, and who has now been accused by several people, including some (alleged) victims of having molested/sexually assaulted several boys.

the main velicle by which this (alleged) predator came in contact with his targets/victims was an organization that he himself had founded. The (smooth) reporter I heard this morning, in my opinion, slipped up by stating simply that this accused person had formed this organization- Second Mile- for the purpose of helping disadvantaged youth. The reporter could easily, if he'd tho't of it, slipped in the word "purportedly", as in ". . . ________ formed this organization purportedly for the purpose of helping disadvantaged youth. . ."

PROTOCOL

my understanding of this word is based on a READERS' DIGEST article of maybe 10 years ago about a doctor seeking to help hospitals be more successful in healing people and not harming them. the doctor came up with a list of things that each health worker (doctor, nurse, all!) must follow in contact with patients and their records. the list was called a protocol. the fact of having the list in black and white before them, and requirement that they check off items only as they do them or insure that they are done, immensely helped health workers succeed in helping well.

what i am pondering here is the possibility of discovering a list of things that we as Christians must do in order to have our prayers answered.

that statement maybe sounds selfish and naive in its bare-bones form, but let me quickly clarify it by referring first to James' admonition at JAMES 4:3
"When you ask, you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives (that you may spend what you get on pleasure.)"

(i'll write more later.)

STUMBLING

at the theological discussion website THEOLOGICA.NING, some respondents to a question i had emphasized their belief that those who God has destined to be His children, a part of His eternal kingdom, He has predestined from the beginning. The way these folks said it was whatever was or were the means by which God drew and called them, it was God Himself who called them.
This discussion with predestination being a given, was new to me. Wesleyan tradition focuses on "means of grace" , things that help us to draw close to God.
But i read a few scripture references and was convinced that some are destined to accept God's free gift (and some never will, I guess.)Also, what informed my thinking on this was seeing that my experience or reasoning agreed with what they were putting forth. I said , " i can imagine two people experiencing the same things, learning the same things, being hurt by the same things and encouraged by the same thing, but having totally different responses to their life experiences.
So now I have a new perspective on salvation: the one whom God destines to be "saved" will be saved; but their life can be filled with a lot of detours-messy detours- or it can be more direct. I can think of three Bible passages about stumbling that shed light for me on this idea. 1)Where Jesus says, "if anyone causes one of these little ones to stumble it would be better if they had never been born." 2)Where Paul says, "don't do anything -including something that you feel free to do because of Christ's freedom- that could cause others to stumble." and 3)Where Daniel dreamed about the rock that would cause some to stumble; but others would be broken by the same stone.
Thinking of others as already having ( or not having) a predisposion to come to God changes the way I will approach others.

REAR GUARD

JUST GETTING THIS STARTED FOR NOW:
the preacher told about a hiking trip he was on with boy scouts and his dad as a leader.
one day, the son wanted to be at the back cuz' he was feeling slow. every once and a while he would call out to his dad at the front, " i'm still here. i'm doing ok."
that got me to thinking of the special job of being the rear guard. I want to see what the Bible has to say about it; and write about Paul always mentioning his people, the jews that he still is concerned about; and dear former president George W. (whose wife is a teacher at heart always, of course) who at least tried or did lip service to "No Child Left Behind"; and my poem, if I can find it, called WE ARE THE PRODIGAL SON; and, of course, Jesus talking about the lost this and lost that.