My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. [12] Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food. - Job 23:11-12 One thing in life that is so very important is a correct diet. ... Continue Reading →
The “Weapons Of Our Warfare” Are Not Carnal
2Co 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 2Co 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 2Co 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing... Continue Reading →
Grace Goodies!
How about some link love to a lot of free grace goodies I adore? (I'm a bit of a link-a-holic.) Shawn Brasseaux has written over 4,500 grace articles each fewer than 333 words. My church’s website has a wonderful list of many grace newsletters including the Berean Searchlight, which has a new October issue (and... Continue Reading →
How many issues were at Corinth?
What a thrill it was to participate last weekend in the Twin Cities Grace Fellowship Conference! I had a blast! The theme was The Gathering of Christ’s Body. My first message, called "For Better or For Worse," used 1 Cor. 11:17 as the base text. I had pointed out that in my sermon prep, I... Continue Reading →
Charity: Bearing One Another’s Burdens
Gal 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Gal 6:2 Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. Gal 6:3 For if a man think himself to be... Continue Reading →
Joel’s Dream Come True
I have for years been telling Pastor Hal Bekemeyer he needs to write a book called "God Don't Make Junk!" That's a phenomenal title, which he is known for saying on occasion (along with "Words mean things!") Of course, a book with that title would be all about our glorious identification with Christ, who you... Continue Reading →
God Don’t Make Junk!
[This article is taken from Hal's NEW FREE booklet called "God Don't Make Junk!" Download the free pdf. Read it. Smile. It's awesome. I love it! -Joel Hayes] We are New Creatures. 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all... Continue Reading →
Them That Love God “According To His Purpose”
Rom 8:27 And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. ... Continue Reading →
They Have Addicted Themselves To The Ministry Of The Saints
1Co 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. 1Co 16:14 Let all your things be done with charity. 1Co 16:15 I beseech you, brethren, (ye know the house of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the... Continue Reading →
There’s a Scandal in my Church!
So what does Paul teach us about how to handle a scandal in a church? Let’s say you have discovered that your beloved grace pastor has been doing something really, really stupid for a long time. How should you and your church handle a scandal? The Dangers of Secret Sins First, how about we address,... Continue Reading →
“Your Perfection” This Powerful Identity “With” Christ
2Co 13:3 Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you. 2Co 13:4 For though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we shall live with him by the... Continue Reading →
AGREEING TO DISAGREE?
OK, first off, I would like to have a show of hands to demonstrate how many people agree with any other person 100% of the time. OK, do I have any takers at 50%? That is what I thought. You can hardly find two people who agree on more than a few key issues. Everyone... Continue Reading →
The Sober Mind: “But Let Us Watch And Be Sober”
1Th 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 1Th 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. 1Th 5:7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be... Continue Reading →
The “Faith” & The “Faithful” In The Faith Part 2
Gal 1:22 And was unknown by face unto the churches of Judaea which were in Christ: Gal 1:23 But they had heard only, That he which persecuted us in times past now preacheth the faith which once he destroyed. Gal 1:24 And they glorified God in me. In the prior study, we looked at the... Continue Reading →
My, My, My x 3!
It’s often easy to see how a person can get caught up in performance based religion. Simply put, people tend to look at a single verse, without context, and build their doctrine based on the incomplete knowledge they have been given. One such instance can be found in Psalm 18:20: The Lord rewarded me according... Continue Reading →
The “Faith” & The “Faithful” In The Faith Part 1
Mat 8:24 And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. Mat 8:25 And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. Mat 8:26 And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye... Continue Reading →
People Are People
One of the realities that is often so hard for people to fathom is that each and every person in the world is, in fact, an individual. Individual habits, individual appearances, individual diets, even individual preferences of clothing and automobiles. There are no two people alike - even identical twins! There is no single physical... Continue Reading →
THE “UGOTTA” DISEASE
There is a dreaded disease that strikes at the heart of every person in the world. This disease also is the most devious of all, because it psychologically makes one think they are actually well. This disease, unfortunately, can be found in many churches. It is nothing new, but has been around even before there... Continue Reading →
Tried AND True!
I remember hearing a Christian radio broadcast several years ago. The subject of it was regarding music. The premise of it being that the music leader of a church is one of the most difficult positions there is in the church, a premise that I do not hold on to, by the way. So you... Continue Reading →
Glorious Living?
Auto-play on YouTube can be a wonderful thing. It can also be quite an eye-opening experience, even when listening. A couple of days ago the Sunday message from a local mega-church ended up in the que. The message was the standard “purpose-driven,” “best life now” fare, which is wrong on so many fronts. But, the... Continue Reading →
