evangelism / heaven / Judgement

Who Belongs to the Family of God?

Matthew 12.50 promises, whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.

It is interesting to note what God DID NOT say made people His brother and sister and mother. His relations are not among those who believe in God but is among those who obey God.

Jesus, as God, did not say everyone who believes that there is a God or that God is good, or that God loves everyone or anything else people believe about God, make people His relatives. Certainly Jesus believed in God since He is God. (more…)

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January 12, 2017
evangelism / heaven / obedience

What on Earth Are We Here For?

Matthew 6.33 commands, above all pursue His kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

God does want more from us than mere acknowledgement of His existence. He promises us eternity and then tells us to prepare for that existence by storing up eternal treasure. Presumably that treasure will be either necessary or a determinant for our quality of life to come. This is not dissimilar from investment brokers pleading with us to invest today so that we have something to live on tomorrow when we are no longer able to work but must subsist on what we saved. (more…)

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January 6, 2017
Christian Living / Suffering

Where is Jesus?

John 12.26 states, anyone who wants to serve Me must follow Me, because My servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves Me.

God feels like an option. We do what we want to do with apparently little to no consequence for our behavior; at least in the short term. I am not speaking about breaking the laws of society but about doing the will of God in society.

If there really is a God, it seems like He could and even should demand our loyalty and allegiance and that we would willingly give Him both. (more…)

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December 22, 2016
heaven / Judgement

Everyone Meets God Someday

Revelation 11.18 promises, it is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest.

In the end everyone stands before God to be judged. Those who lived in relationship to the Father through the Son by virtue of the Spirit will be rewarded for their deeds accomplished for God’s glory during their lifetimes. Those who denied the Son, ignored the Father and lived apart from the Spirit will be condemned to live forever in torment with all those who choose to live the same. (more…)

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December 20, 2016
evangelism

We Need More Enthusiasm

Haggai 1.14 records, the LORD sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.

The modern vernacular of, ‘God sparked enthusiasm’ is revival. We could use a revival. This movement of God followed His rebuke of Israel for doing nothing to build His temple while they spent their time and money on building their houses and fields. (more…)

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December 12, 2016
Christian Living / evangelism

Stop Watching, Start Doing

Luke 23.49 observes, Jesus’ friends, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.

A lot of people are standing from a distance watching for God to do something.

Sometimes we are waiting for Him to rain hell fire upon our enemies because we know how much they deserve it. Sometimes we are waiting for Him to heal us or our friends because we know how much He cares for us. Sometimes we are waiting for Him to bless us because we know how much He loves us. We wait, we hope but….. (more…)

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December 9, 2016
Christian Living / obedience / work

Determining What is First Place in our Lives

1 John 5.21 ends the letter with, dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.

The Apostle John ends his letter succinctly with the summary admonition to stay away from anything that might take God’s place in our hearts. This statement feels much like the Lord Jesus’ summary of what God the Father really wants from us: love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. (more…)

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December 6, 2016
Christian Living / Judgement / money

What Really Keeps Us From Serving God.

Luke 16.13 observes, no one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.image

The Bible has many warnings against the pursuit and accumulation of wealth. It is interesting that God observes that our greatest competitor to Him will not be some strange idol from a weird man-made religion but a desire to be wealthy. Why do we want wealth? (more…)

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December 2, 2016
heaven / Judgement / obedience

Living With God Requires Obedience

1 Chronicles 28.7 requires, if he continues to obey my commands and regulations as he does now, I will make his kingdomimage last forever.

The Jews understood and still believe, that they are God’s chosen people. Indeed, He did choose them thousands of years ago when God selected one man from all those living on the earth to be the one through whom He will build a nation culminating in His arrival as one of us, Jesus the Messiah.

God’s choice was His own, it wasn’t based upon the merits of the man nor of the people to come from the children born through that man and his wife. Today, the protestant church believes it too is the chosen people of God. (more…)

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November 30, 2016
Christian Living

Loving the World vs. Loving God

James 4.4 warns, you adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it

Book page

again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.

What does it mean to be a friend of the world? Being a friend to anyone means liking them, possibly imitating them and wanting to be their constant companion. So why does God warn us about being a friend of the world? (more…)

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November 24, 2016