Christian Living / evangelism

Living Like Jesus

John 20.21 defines the Christian destiny, as the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.images

Jesus, God, left His message and work of reconciling the world to Himself through Jesus the resurrected Savior, in the hands of His followers.

What are Christians supposed to give their lives to? Making disciples. How are Christians supposed to do this work? As Jesus did. What does this look like? We are to live as Jesus lived while He lived with us on the earth. How did Jesus live? Simply, humbly and purposefully. (more…)

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March 30, 2016
faith / heaven / Judgement

Working Hard is the Result of Our Faith, Not the Reason

Philippians 2.12 commands, work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep imagesreverence and fear.

Easter has just passed for most Christians: it is the time for celebration of the life, death and resurrection of God in Jesus the Savior. It is a celebration because humanity no longer is required to be perfect in order to get to heaven. It is a celebration because humanity is no longer measured by their own performance for earning heaven. It is a celebration because God is offering a pardon for all disobedience against Him by every person who has ever lived who will simply ask God for His pardon through Jesus the Savior. (more…)

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March 28, 2016
Christian Living / Judgement / obedience

Are Love and Tolerance the Same?

John 13.34 records God saying, I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you shouldimage love each other.

The current definition of love is to tolerate any belief or behavior by another individual even if that belief or behavior is offensive to the first person. The person engaged in the offensive behavior is not considered unloving when they continue in their behavior that is offensive to the first party.

Love seems to mean toleration today but only for those engaged in non-traditional behaviors. Those holding traditional values are not to be loved by those not holding such values as demonstrated by curbing their behavior when with the ‘traditionalists.’ It is the traditionalists who need to change their thinking if they are to be loving. (more…)

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March 23, 2016
Prayer

Believing God Hears Us

John 11.41 observes Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.”image

One of our hindrances to prayer is our belief that God hears us. God the Son had no such hindrance with believing that God the Father heard His prayers. Why? (more…)

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March 21, 2016
evangelism / faith

Speaking of Jesus

John 7.13 observes no one had the courage to speak favorably about Him in public, for they were afraidimage of getting in trouble with the Jewish leaders.

While watching a popular sports talk show yesterday I noticed the interviewee easily referenced his commitment to God but not to Jesus. As he was wearing a cross around his neck I am assuming he would identify with Christianity as his religion.

This comfort with God and discomfort with Jesus is age-old and helps explain why we are so broken in our current culture. (more…)

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March 17, 2016
Christian Living

Discipline is the Key to Successful Relationships

Proverbs 1.3 teaches that their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives, to help them do what is right, just, and fair. This teaching refers to the purpose of the Proverbs, the wiseimages sayings written predominantly by the wisest person to ever live.

What is the key to wisdom? The key to living a wise life is to live a life of discipline. A simple answer really to a simple question. The doing of the answer is what we find immensely difficult. (more…)

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March 14, 2016
obedience / Prayer

The Key Work for Beating Temptation

Luke 22.46 challenges, get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. image

God takes sin seriously. Sin is everything we do that defies the will of God.

This defiance is measured by God by our words, attitudes and actions toward Him and others. God has demonstrated His commitment to punish sin since humanity began their rebellion against God. (more…)

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March 8, 2016
Theology

The Difference Between Christianity and Islam

The article below describes some Muslim militias attacking and killing some nuns and their patients in a nursing home in Yemen. This story is a microcosm demonstrating the magnitude of difference between imageChristianity and Islam.

Those who believe all religions are the same and lead to the same end are sorely misguided as this story illustrates as well. (more…)

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March 7, 2016
evangelism

How Christians Can Most Effectively Deliver Their Message

2 Corinthians 4.4 describes Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who imagedon’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

‘The devil made me do it’ is a euphemism for describing why I choose to do the wrong or naughty thing. When the world is askew, when all kinds of bad things are occurring, it isn’t the devil we blame but God. (more…)

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March 4, 2016
Christian Living

Real Men Wanted

1 Corinthians 16.13-14 commands, be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Do imageseverything with love.

This may be my favorite verses in the Bible. I am particularly drawn to the admonition to act like men. We need more of that today particularly in this highly feminized culture where the woman of the year for 2015 was/is a man.

Most Bible translations change the phrase ‘act like men’ to ‘be courageous.’ I like that change because it equates manliness with courage. (more…)

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March 1, 2016