1 Thessalonians 1.10 promises, Jesus is the one Who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming
judgment.
Recently I was listening to a man describe why he rejected his Christian upbringing. He served as a soldier in Vietnam and couldn’t understand how a good God could allow so much suffering. He has since become a Muslim. I didn’t understand how switching ‘gods’ helped him especially to one who doesn’t describe himself as love. (more…)
Colossians 1.28 explains, we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.
This verse most succinctly defines the occupation or purpose of every Christian: to bring people to Jesus and help them know His will.
When God lived on earth He began His work by inviting men to follow Him so that they could become fishers of men. When God left the earth entrusting His work to the care of men He commanded them to go and make disciples. (more…)
John 13.34 records God saying, I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should
love each other.
The current definition of love is to tolerate any belief or behavior by another individual even if that belief or behavior is offensive to the first person. The person engaged in the offensive behavior is not considered unloving when they continue in their behavior that is offensive to the first party.
Love seems to mean toleration today but only for those engaged in non-traditional behaviors. Those holding traditional values are not to be loved by those not holding such values as demonstrated by curbing their behavior when with the ‘traditionalists.’ It is the traditionalists who need to change their thinking if they are to be loving. (more…)
John 11.41 observes Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, thank you for hearing me.”
One of our hindrances to prayer is our belief that God hears us. God the Son had no such hindrance with believing that God the Father heard His prayers. Why? (more…)
Luke 22.46 challenges, get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.
God takes sin seriously. Sin is everything we do that defies the will of God.
This defiance is measured by God by our words, attitudes and actions toward Him and others. God has demonstrated His commitment to punish sin since humanity began their rebellion against God. (more…)
The article below describes some Muslim militias attacking and killing some nuns and their patients in a nursing home in Yemen. This story is a microcosm demonstrating the magnitude of difference between
Christianity and Islam.
Those who believe all religions are the same and lead to the same end are sorely misguided as this story illustrates as well. (more…)
1 Corinthians 16.13-14 commands, be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Do
everything with love.
This may be my favorite verses in the Bible. I am particularly drawn to the admonition to act like men. We need more of that today particularly in this highly feminized culture where the woman of the year for 2015 was/is a man.
Most Bible translations change the phrase ‘act like men’ to ‘be courageous.’ I like that change because it equates manliness with courage. (more…)
Luke 11.2 records, Jesus said, this is how you should pray: Father, may Your Name be kept holy.
The human manifestation of God asks us to pray that the Name of the Spirit of God be kept holy. This was not a request from concern that God would possibly lose His holiness. This was a concern that those who claim to know God would not fail to represent God in harmony with the character and nature of God.
What is holiness? (more…)
Luke 9.60 comments, let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about
the Kingdom of God.
God requires only a few things from us but He appears fairly adamant about those few things.
First is to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength. While we look to make the adherence to this command a feeling within ourselves God measures it by His second command which is to love our neighbor as ourselves. (more…)
1 Corinthians 3.18-19 commands, if you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to
become 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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