Christian Living

When The Good Son Is The Bad Son, and The Bad Son Is The Good Son

Matthew 21.28-31 asks, what do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, son, go and work today in the vineyard. I will not, he answered, but later he changed his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, I will, sir, but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted? The first, they answered. Jesus said to them, Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

 

The child who does what we ask without arguing is a blessing and a rarity. The child who negotiates what he is asked to do with complaining and arguing is the norm. In the end, our ‘good’ child is the one who does what they are asked regardless of their attitude in getting it done. While their character no doubt needs some work, we usually measure behavior by what gets done.

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November 1, 2020
evangelism / Judgement

Christians Are To Live As Warriors

Psalm 144.1 exclaims, praise be to the Lord my Rock, Who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle.

 

This psalm begins with a praise to God Who prepares David for battle and concludes with a blessing upon the nation that is prosperous and successful because the warrior has been successful thanks to the strength and blessing of God. (more…)

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October 13, 2020
Christian Living

Can You Feel The Conflict?

Galatians 5.17,21 describes, the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want….and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 

Can you feel the conflict inside? The conflict between the flesh and the Spirit? The conflict between what we want and what God wants? We are dead to the Spirit unless we nurture the Spirit within us. How do we do that? (more…)

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September 30, 2020
evangelism

Pleasing God and Pleasing People are Mutually Exclusive

Galatians 1.10 asks, am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Why is it that man pleasers and God pleasers are not synonymous? How is it that pleasing men keeps us from serving Christ? Relational evangelism has led many Christians to believe they are at least closely related. In trying to win people to Christ we try to become friends with men. Indeed, Jesus was a friend of sinners! So it seems Paul’s words conflicts with Jesus’ work. (more…)

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September 25, 2020
Christian Living / Judgement

The Church Is Responsible For Resisting Abortion

Ezekiel 24.6-7,13 describes, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the city of bloodshed, to the pot now encrusted, whose deposit will not go away! Take the meat out piece by piece in whatever order it comes. For the blood she shed is in her midst: She poured it on the bare rock; she did not pour it on the ground, where the dust would cover it……Now your impurity is lewdness. Because I tried to cleanse you but you would not be cleansed from your impurity, you will not be clean again until my wrath against you has subsided.

 

The American church has the blood of abortion on its hands. Why the church? It is the salt and light of the world, the leaven responsible for infiltrating the whole loaf. This nation was founded by Christians seeking religious freedom. They didn’t worship the same way but they all worshiped the same God. As a result, we had a nation that held Christian values for more than 200 years. (more…)

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September 22, 2020
Christian Living / evangelism / obedience

Being A Good Christian Is Not Enough

Ezekiel 21.3-4 records, this is what the Lord says: I am against you. I will draw My sword from its sheath and cut off from you both the righteous and the wicked. Because I am going to cut off the righteous and the wicked, My sword will be unsheathed against everyone from south to north.

 

The sin of Israel was too much, too consistent, too long for God to overlook any longer. Though there were a few who obeyed God, the culture itself was rotten to the core. Judgement, punishment and disaster were the result of Israel’s persistent disobedience to God. Yet even in this promise to slay the righteous and the wicked, God also promised to save a few. (more…)

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September 18, 2020
Christian Living / evangelism

A Simple Description For Christian Living

1 Corinthians 16.13-14 commands, be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.

 

A quick summary of how those who claim to be Christians are to live the Christian life in this pagan world that opposes God and the truth of His Word. We are to watch ourselves, guard our conduct, character and thinking, lest we become sucked into the ways of the world. Our flesh is weak though our spirit is willing to obey. The ideas of satan to disobey God are subtle and appealing to our feelings but they move us out of alignment with God’s will, and when followed, lead us to a place completely at odds with His Word. The best defense is a good offense. (more…)

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September 12, 2020
Christian Living / obedience

Fathering: The Key To Making America Great Again

Psalm 78.5-7 records, He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which He commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands.

 

America’s crisis is a crisis of obedience to God, the direct result of the poverty of our parenting over these past 70 years. The parenting crisis is a fathering crisis, men have not led their families in the ways of God as they have been commanded in the Word of God. Teaching, leading and modeling obedience to God has not been the post WW II priorities of the American father. (more…)

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September 9, 2020
evangelism

Christians Need To Get Off The Couch And Into The Fray

1 Corinthians 9.25,27 observes, everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever….No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Too many Christian men fail to see themselves running a race. They do not see themselves in a cosmic battle for the souls of men of whom they are the Lord’s army to be fighting for the freedom, capture and security from sin and death those currently under the dominion of ignorance to Jesus as Savior. (more…)

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September 4, 2020