Acts 14.22 reports, strengthening the disciples by encouraging them to continue in the faith and by
telling them, “It is necessary to go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
When we preach the gospel we promise people their lives will get better not harder. We want success in our ask not commitment to our offer. We get people to pray with us but few walk with us. We are doing it wrong. (more…)
Acts 15.4 observes, when they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles,
and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.
There should be among Christians, an expectation, that the people of God accomplish something of the work of God. There certainly is such expectation by God Himself which will become clear to us on that day when we stand before Him, to be rewarded for the works we have accomplished for His purposes while we lived upon this earth. (more…)
Matthew 10.22 promises, you will be hated by everyone because of My name. But the one who endures
to the end will be saved.
This section contains one of God’s most stern warnings to us about His expectation from us to serve Him as witnesses of His work in the world through Jesus the Savior. He reminds us that we are to share Him with others but warns that in sharing Him we will suffer for Him, for even those in our own household will reject the Lordship of Jesus. (more…)
Matthew 2.16 remembers, Herod, when he realized that he had been outwitted by the wise men, flew
into a rage. He gave orders to massacre all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, in keeping with the time he had learned from the wise men.
The age old question of why bad things happen to good people is never answered satisfactorily to those suffering. The Bible has a clear explanation but men find it unpalatable for it makes men responsible for all the suffering in the world that has ever been. (more…)
Revelation 22.12-13 promises, I’m on my way! I’ll be there soon! I’m bringing my payroll with me.
I’ll pay all people in full for their life’s work. I’m A to Z, the First and the Final, Beginning and Conclusion.
What will God pay men for? What is the product or service of which He is interested? Is He not God, the Creator of all things and thus the owner of all things? (more…)
2 Chronicles 31.2 observes, Hezekiah organized the groups of priests and Levites for their respective
tasks, handing out job descriptions for conducting the services of worship: making the various offerings, and making sure that thanks and praise took place wherever and whenever GOD was worshiped.
Two essential elements of worship of the One true God is thanks and praise. We give God thanks for all He has done for us. We praise God for Who He is. Thanks and praise are critical elements of our worship because they take our eyes off of ourselves and place our focus where its always supposed to be: upon God. (more…)
Luke 24. 28-31 records, they came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if He were going on but they pressed Him: Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done. So He went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them
. Taking the bread, He blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized Him. And then He disappeared.
We take God so lightly, in our narcissism we believe Him to be all about us. As our Creator, we are to be all about Him and He treats us that way! (more…)
1 John 4.21 is clear, The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people.
You’ve got to love both.
It is absolutely amazing to me that the Creator has so completely intertwined His command to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, with the command to love our neighbor as our self. This command of God is entirely unique to Christianity among all religions in the world, now or ever. (more…)
Enter your email below to get your free resource, periodic news, and new blog post notifications.
