Christian Living / faith / Judgement

Who Defines Wisdom?

1 Corinthians 3.18-19 commands, if you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to imagebecome a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.”

Recently deceased Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia put it this way, ‘God assumed from the beginning that the wise of the world would view Christians as fools…and He has not been disappointed. Devout Christians are destined to be regarded as fools in modern society. We are fools for Christ’s sake. We must pray for courage to endure the scorn of the sophisticated world. If I have brought any message today, it is this: Have the courage to have your wisdom regarded as stupidity. Be fools for Christ. And have the courage to suffer the contempt of the sophisticated world.’

Justice Scalia’s challenge is immensely timely for this generation of Christians. (more…)

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February 16, 2016
evangelism / Judgement / obedience

God’s Workers or God Robbers?

Mark 11.17 describes, My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations . But you have turned it imageinto a den of robbers!

What is the purpose of Church?

If the Church is the world wide ‘body’ of Christ, the faithful followers of Jesus, then it’s mission is the Great Commission. If the Church is the local building where the followers of Jesus gather then…..it gets a bit more nebulous, at least to the followers. (more…)

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February 8, 2016
Christian Living / evangelism / Judgement / work

God Defines What is Good so We Can Do Good Works

Romans 7.4 states because you are united with the One who was raised from the dead, we can produceimage a harvest of good deeds for God.

Everyone wants to do good. Its in our nature to want to do good deeds that generates recognition of our goodness. We have this nature because we were created in the image of God Who is good.

Our original design was for us to always do good for the glory of God but now that we have been corrupted through generational disobedience to God we seek to do good to obtain esteem from one another. What we recognize is this inherent need and desire to do good. (more…)

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February 4, 2016
heaven / Judgement

What Does it Mean to be Good?

Romans 4.25 describes that He was handed over to die because of our sins, and He was raised to life toimage make us right with God.

Religion is the attempt to make people right with God. Performance is essential for success.

Even the agnostic plays this game by convincing themselves they are essentially good people deserving of heaven if there proves to be a god in the end. Being right with God by the agnostic and the religious is defined as doing more good in life than bad.

But what is good? (more…)

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February 2, 2016
Christian Living / heaven

What Christianity Looks Like

Acts 26.20 records Paul’s message to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do.image

One of the knocks on Christianity is how easy it is to be ‘successful’ in the religion, if success is defined as going to heaven. All of the other religions require great effort and sacrifice if the adherent is going to earn their eternal reward but Christianity promotes itself as a free gift only to be received in order to become an eternal member. (more…)

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January 26, 2016
heaven / Judgement

Who Desires to be Great?

Matthew 20.23 says, I have no right to say who will sit on My right or My left. My Father has preparedimage those places for the ones He has chosen.

Men want to be great, and recognized as such, for as long as possible. Imagine being the number two or three person in an eternal kingdom.

Forever recognition of personal greatness. Its sort of what we have in a hall of fame except we can enjoy the recognition without ever dying! (more…)

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January 20, 2016
evangelism

All In for God

Nehemiah 1.11 is the prayer; O Lord, please grant me success today by making the king favorable toimage me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me. In those days I was the king’s cup-bearer.

Things were bad in Nehemiah’s day, real bad. The nation of Israel, the people of God, were no longer living free under their own rule but were disbursed and distributed to the nations around them to live as slaves and servants of their captors. But some still had hope in God. (more…)

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January 11, 2016
Christian Living / faith / heaven / Judgement

God has Always Preferred Certain Worship

Genesis 4.4 describes Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock.
The LORD accepted Abel and his gift.

The first religious service recorded was of the first two brothers born on earth bringing their offerings to God. God rejected the offerings of the first brother but accepted the offerings of the second brother. This account is immensely instructive on the nature and ways of God considering it occurs on page 5 of His story without any indication that He had previously prescribed certain requirements for worship of Him.

The clear message from this story is that there is a right way to worship God and a wrong way. (more…)

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January 5, 2016
Christian Living / evangelism

Living Like Jesus Lived

John 14.31 reminds us that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what My Father imagehas commanded Me.

When Jesus was wrapping up His earthly visitation He summarized His work as a world-wide example of love. Love for the Father and love for the people of the world past, present and future was to be how His work is defined.

What did this love look like? (more…)

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December 24, 2015
heaven / Judgement / obedience / Suffering

What are You Depending Upon?

2 Chronicles 16.9 promises the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose thhearts are fully committed to Him.

This declaration was made by the prophet to the king of Judah who had just exhibited unfaithfulness to the Lord. How was he unfaithful? By not seeking God for help but looking to others to rescue him during his time of need.

Its normal for us to solve our own problems or seek help from others when those troubles are larger than our own resources. This kind of living is defined by God as being wise in our own eyes. (more…)

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December 14, 2015