Being a Christian is the most blessed life one could ever live! Jesus said, “I came that you may have life and that you may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). What a true privilege it was to have been called Christians first at Antioch (Acts 11:26). Today, it is not less of a privilege and blessing to be a Christian. Notice a couple of blessings that come from being a Christian.
Read MoreSometimes we get out of bed in the morning and things do not always go according to plan. I saw on social media this morning a woman who complained about the traffic here in town. For many of us, this is a reality. There are other things that could happen to us. It could be that you did not sleep well the night before.
Read More“The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous main avails much” (James 5:16). Since prayer is such an important part of the Chrisitan life, it only makes sense the more I know about prayer the more it can benefit me and those in my prayer life. Here are some basic details Paul gives Timothy about prayer in 1 Tim. 2:1ff…
Read MoreMany times, we all may run into someone that we either haven’t seen for a while, or maybe even someone that we don’t actually now well at all and the statement is heard “hey, I know you.” Sometimes we may know them well and just haven’t seen them in a while…or sometimes we really don’t “know” them at all.
Read MoreThe Holy Spirit says, “Without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins” (Heb. 9:22). The Old Testament Levitical system was a very bloody system (Lev. 1-5). For every sin of every kind there was a blood sacrifice to be offered (Lev. 4:1-12). Yet the Scripture records that the blood of all those bulls and goats could never really take away sin (Heb. 10:3-4). How thankful we should be that Jesus was willing to shed His blood once for all for sin so that the sin problem would have a permanent solution (Heb. 10:12). Notice just how important the blood of Christ is to our salvation.
Read MoreWhen watching television, reading the newspaper, or listening to the radio sometimes it is hard to separate fact from fiction. Of course, the only way to do this is to analyze the facts and the source to ascertain if what is said is true. The same is true four some people’s religion. Some people talk a good talk but do they have true religion. James deals with true religion and teaches us how to separate fact from fiction in James 1:26-27.
Read More“A question was asked recently regarding the loss of several good men who preached the gospel - ‘who is going to fill their shoes...’ It is a valid question. Is your congregation working to be a preacher ‘factory’ or are we lining up for a funeral of the local church?”
Read MoreThe stadium was packed.
It was a hot summer night with a lot of emotions stirred because of the performance.
Up in the corporate boxes, there were executives of companies, their friends and even some family.
Read MoreThe most important question ever asked is “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30, 2:37). Everyone who believes in God must ask this question at one time in his or her life. Truly, no other source is better able to answer this question than the word of God, for it is able to save and sanctify the souls of men (James 1:21; Jn. 17:17, 8:32). Therefore, what does the Bible teach one must do to be saved?
Read MoreThat’s some pretty serious stuff right there!!! It’s natural…but it can kill ya! That is basically what they are saying here. Why on earth would anyone want to do that?
Read MoreWhen the Son of man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8). This question Jesus asked arose from a discussion of persistence in prayer. This question of the Lord is designed to provoke an evaluation of our faith. The Apostle Paul said, “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves” (2 Cor. 13:5). How can we make sure the Lord finds faith when he comes?
Read MoreIt was because we did not fit in with the “customs” of the area, or at least what is promoted as the way to have a good time at least. We were different.
Read MoreThe Bible clearly teaches that God has a day prepared when He will judge all men. To the idolatrous people in Athens, Paul declared that God “…has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead" (Acts 17:30-31). For many people this will be the saddest day of their life. They did not prepare spend their life preparing for this day. As a result, they will be lost (Matt. 25:1-10). To others, this will be the most wonderful day of their life. They spent their life preparing for this day and were ready to go to Heaven (Matt. 25:23). For The Day of Judgment to be a happy day for us we must understand the nature of this day. Let us consider several biblical characteristics of The Judgment Day.
Read MoreRecently, the college sports headlines covered the unusual situation of a player that did not feel that he had to attend mandatory events such as practice and team meetings in part or most because he felt that he was beyond that as he had a very large NIL value.
Read MoreIt is evident from the Bible that not every type of faith is a saving faith. For example, the Bible records that even the demons believe (From the Greek word pistis which is used interchangeably for faith), yet we know the demons are lost and their faith only evokes trembling (James 2:19). Throughout the Bible, there have been people who had faith, but it was not a saving kind of faith. For example, the Israelites were God’s people during the times of Moses and Joshua, yet because of a lack of true faith (i.e., they believed in God), they perished (Heb. 3:7ff). What is a saving type of faith really like?
Read More
Ralph Waldo Emerson once stated, “What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.” This statement defines the real essence of leadership. Great leaders are not defined by past accomplishments of future endeavors. Great leaders are distinctly remembered for their integrity of heart. For example, David was a great military leader. His leadership accomplishments range from the defeat of Goliath to the conquering of the enemy nations. Yet, when we think of King David it is not those accomplishments that stand out. David is best remembered for that one statement God made concerning him: “I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will” (Acts 13:22). David will forever be remembered as a leader after God’s own heart. What made David a leader in purity? And, what characteristics can we possess to be leaders in purity?
Read MoreIt was a vibrant spring Saturday morning on March 31, 2012. I had plans to work in the yard, get the mower out and cut the early spring grass, daffodils and onions and just relax a bit
Read More“My life would be happier if…”? If I had more money, if I had a better job, if I had a better education, I would be happier.
WRONG
Read MoreAn answer to: “Paul didn’t baptize” or “Paul said it wasn’t important because of 1 Corinthians 1.”
Read MoreHave you ever seen someone say on social media - specifically Facebook - that they had been “hacked” or cloned?
Read More
