money / obedience / work

Pursuing Success is Our Nature

1 Chronicles 22.12-13 promises, that’s what will make you successful, following the directions and doing the things that GOD commanded Moses for Israel. Courage! Take charge! Don’t be timid; don’t hold back.

Everyone wants success, or at least the results of success. Fame and fortune, that’s the goal of all humanity. Success is defined by the applause of men and the material possessions we have accumulated. The greater the audience, the more likes, the greater the person. The more stuff, the more adventures, the greater the person. (more…)

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November 26, 2018
evangelism

God Wants Our Commitment Not Our Comfort

Matthew 9.13 records, I’m after mercy, not religion. I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.

This ‘harsh’ word from God should cause us to pause and consider the importance of His message recorded for us so that we can know Him and do His will. God in Jesus is warning us, challenging us, seeking to penetrate our worldview so that we reconsider our ways and realign our priorities.

What does it mean to coddle? (more…)

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October 12, 2018
Uncategorized

How Hard Are You Working?

1 Corinthians 15.58 invites, don’t hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.

This is our mission, the Great Commission. We are to conduct this mission with our whole heart, throwing ourselves into this work, knowing that eternal reward awaits when we face our God and give account for the life we lived on this earth. (more…)

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September 12, 2018
evangelism / Prayer / Suffering

Does Dishonor of God Really Bother Us?

Ezekiel 9.3-4 describes, the Glory of the God of Israel ascended from His usual place above the cherubim-angels, moved to the threshold of the Temple, and called to the man with the writing case who was dressed in linen: Go through the streets of Jerusalem and put a mark on the forehead of everyone who is in anguish over the outrageous obscenities being done in the city.

How many people would be marked by God today who grieve over the dishonor so prevalent against God in our society? So many grumble about the lawlessness. So many shake their heads at the violence but who is in anguish over the godlessness we see in the news daily? (more…)

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September 7, 2018
evangelism

The Best Way For Gaining Influence

1 Corinthians 9.19-23 records, even though I am free of the demands and expectations of everyone, I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life. I did all this because of the Message. I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!

The purpose of the Christian life, the work we are to do, is to win people to Christ in order for God to accomplish His purpose of not seeing anyone perish but for all to come to eternal life. (more…)

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September 4, 2018
evangelism

Living as Wise as the Thief

Luke 16.8-9 observes, here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right —using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.

This passage has made Christians wonder for centuries. God praises a thief, a liar, an embezzler. What? (more…)

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August 21, 2018
evangelism

The Best Way to Love God and Love Our Neighbor

Luke 12.8-9 commands, stand up for Me among the people you meet and the Son of Man will stand up for you before all God’s angels. But if you pretend you don’t know Me, do you think I’ll defend you before God’s angels?

One of the evidences for the truth of Scripture, that the Lord alone is God and that Jesus is the God-Man, the only Savior of the world, is the difficulty we have in identifying with Him before men. (more…)

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August 17, 2018
evangelism

Sharing Jesus With People Can Get You Hurt

Luke 10.3 warns, On your way! But be careful—this is hazardous work. You’re like lambs in a wolf pack.

I find it ironic our God would say, be careful. Our prayers are offered in hopes that we wouldn’t need to be careful, that He would be watching over us to protect us so that nothing bad happens to us. Isn’t that the point of our prayers? Especially, when the prayer and the work is centered around doing His will! (more…)

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August 15, 2018
evangelism / obedience

Overcoming Our Fear of Identifying with Jesus

Matthew 28.16-17 observes, the eleven disciples were on their way to Galilee, headed for the mountain Jesus had set for their reunion. The moment they saw Him they worshiped Him. Some, though, held back, not sure about worship, about risking themselves totally.

Shame, and similarly, fear of what people might think, are two cancers impacting greatly the Church, inhibiting its obedience to the mission assigned by Jesus to go into all the world and make disciples, teaching people everywhere to obey His commands. (more…)

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July 19, 2018
evangelism / obedience

What Does It Mean To Live As God’s People?

Matthew 21.43 observes, This is the way it is with you. God’s kingdom will be taken back from you and handed over to a people who will live out a kingdom life.

The kingdom life is given to kingdom livers. We do not possess what we do not possess. We do not keep by promise what we do not live by faith. The Father expects His children to live as sons and daughters of God. So what does it mean to live a kingdom life? (more…)

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July 12, 2018