Matthew 12.33 commands make the tree good and its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.
The key verb here is ‘make.’ The work of the church, the work of the parent, the work of the community, is to ‘make’ good people so that good exists in our society. Who defines good determines what is produced. This is the battle we see in our country today. (more…)
John 4.22 proclaims, you Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews.
One of the most offensive things a person can say today is that there is only one true religion, one true way to heaven, one true God. People become offended by this because they feel it is offensive to other people. However, these same people do not seem to think that believing and advocating for many ways to heaven and many gods to get there might be offensive to the One True God. Why do we think the One True God is copacetic with people creating whatever path they choose to get to Him? (more…)
Numbers 15.38-39 commands Moses, speak to the Israelites and tell them that throughout their generations they are to make tassels for
the corners of their garments, and put a blue cord on the tassel at each corner. These will serve as tassels for you to look at, so that you may remember all the Lord’s commands and obey them and not prostitute yourselves by following your own heart and your own eyes.
A few years ago the w.w.j.d. bracelets were popular, created to serve as reminders to us for asking what would Jesus do in any given situation. Of course the answer to what would Jesus do was to be found in the Scriptures and not to be determined by our own feelings. I’m not sure this part of the message ever got delivered to the adherents of the bands. (more…)
Hebrews 5.13 observes, everyone who lives on milk is inexperienced with the message about righteousness, because he is an infant. 
Who lives on milk? A baby. How does a baby live on milk? They must be picked up and brought to the breast or otherwise held and have a bottle deposited into their mouth. There are too many in the Church who live on milk. (more…)
2 Timothy 2.4-6 describes, no one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he
seeks to please the commanding officer. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops.
These three descriptions of the Christian life reflect three different but necessary attributes for living the Christian life in a way that honors God and makes clear to men and demons that we are truly committed to Him and His ways. (more…)
John 16.33 records, I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have
suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.
Be courageous. What does this mean for us as Christians? How about, be willing to identify with Jesus before men regardless of what they might do to us, but especially when they persecute us. They persecuted Jesus, Himself God, when He lived among us. Why did they persecute Him? (more…)
Galatians 1.10 asks, am I now trying to persuade people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I
were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.
Paul identifies the root cause of our problem in the America Church. The culture has become increasingly distant from the person, character and work of Jesus Christ. The culture has now reached the place of hostility toward the Church. (more…)
2 Corinthians 5.6 observes, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body
we are away from the Lord.
Paul is speaking about our physical body though he is encouraging us about our future body. Paul reminds us that while we live on earth we are not at home with the Lord. Our true destiny, our true residence, our true happiness, is with Jesus where He is living bodily; with Him forever. (more…)
1 Corinthians 2.12 observes, now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes
from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God.
God wants us to know Him. That makes sense if there really is a God. Why would God want us ignorant of Who He is or what He requires of us? Of course He doesn’t! It behooves us then to know God so we can know His will. God has given us the two things we need for accomplishing this objective. (more…)
Romans 16.19 commands, I want you to be wise about what is good, and yet innocent about what is
evil.
How do we become wise about what is good? We have to know what good is. In our arrogance, we all think we know what good is. We look into ourselves and create a self-centered, self-preserving, self-gratifying definition. If it works for us then it is good. (more…)
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