The Value of Religious Activities

Matthew 15.11 defines, it’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.image

The Muslims are wrapping up their holy week most characterized by fasting from sunup until sundown. Fasting has been used by religious people of all stripes from all time as a means to appease the gods and or garner their attention.

Christians have used fasting historically not so much for these purposes but to discipline the flesh so that we obey the Spirit. (more…)

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Wishing for the End of the World

Revelation 19.10 describes, the essence of prophecy is to give a clear witness for Jesus.image

Too many Christians are hoping for the end of this world as we know it. Everyday we move closer to the end they say. Certainly that is true.

These Christians are weary of life’s difficulties and the rapid increase of godlessness everywhere in the world. I fear the motive is less a desire for Jesus and more of a desire to be done with a life that is less than fulfilling or happy or blessed. Why should God want to end the world? (more…)

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What God Expects From Us

Revelation 12.17 describes, the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of imageher children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.

The Bible describes the world as being at war. We see the evidence of this reality but as American Christians we don’t always interpret that reality as being daily and local. (more…)

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Living Our Best Life Now

Deuteronomy 11.26-28 offers, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: the blessing if you take to heart the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, and the curse if you pay no attention to his commandments and turn from the way I am setting before you today to pursueimage other gods you have not known.

God gets blamed for most of the bad things that happen in the world but if we thought about it very long we would recognize that most of the evil occurs because one human chooses to harm another human. (more…)

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What it Takes to Serve God

John 12.25 promises, those who love their life in this world will lose it. Those who care nothing forimages their life in this world will keep it for eternity.

Mohammad twisted this promise from God reinterpreting it to mean that his followers whose suicide kills others will automatically qualify for heaven. What kind of a god would make this offer? Only one whose true mission is to steal, kill and destroy. (more…)

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What Are We to Think About Evil?

1 Peter 3.12 promises, the eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right, and his ears are open to imagetheir prayers. But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil.

This promise is what we would expect from a God Who is good. It makes sense to us that a good God would watch over those who do good and hear their prayers. It also makes sense to us that God would oppose those who do evil in the world.

There is a disconnect however from this logic and some of our experiences. Evil in the world is a problem for people. (more…)

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How to Effect World Peace

Psalm 46.10 proclaims, be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be imagehonored throughout the world.

God is at work in the world making Himself known, working to reconcile the world to Himself. When men are at peace with God men are at peace with each other.

It is the enemy of God who comes to steal, kill and destroy thus motivating the havoc we experience in families and nations. (more…)

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Why We Must Pursue Truth

Hebrews 2.1 commands, we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift awayimage from it.

Since the 1960’s there has been an assault on truth. Not the truth espoused by those 60’s hippies who are now the university professors, newspaper editors and hollywood film producers, no they always tell the truth.

At least they tell their version of truth which is that there is no truth except their truth which is why there is so much intolerance toward truth spoken against their truth. (more…)

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Living Differently Than Everyone Else

Leviticus 18.3-4 commands, do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. You must obey all My imageregulations and be careful to obey My decrees, for I am the LORD your God.

The other day I was accused of not being very Christian. The accusation was from a person who did not claim to be a Christian. This person, who didn’t use the ‘product’ seemed to know how the ‘product’ was to be used and according to him, I was doing it wrong.

While I wont get into the details the point is that people, in addition to God, expect Christians to live differently. Christians too believe this but struggle to differentiate their words, behaviors or habits from the rest of their culture. (more…)

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Living Like Jesus

John 20.21 defines the Christian destiny, as the Father has sent Me, so I am sending you.images

Jesus, God, left His message and work of reconciling the world to Himself through Jesus the resurrected Savior, in the hands of His followers.

What are Christians supposed to give their lives to? Making disciples. How are Christians supposed to do this work? As Jesus did. What does this look like? We are to live as Jesus lived while He lived with us on the earth. How did Jesus live? Simply, humbly and purposefully. (more…)

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