We Need a New Way to Give Thanks “A psalm of thanksgiving. Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Acknowledge that Yahweh is God. He made us, and we are His — His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For Yahweh is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness... Read more
I Need to Make a Sacrifice Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever he wants and offer it. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. My king, Araunah gives everything here to the king.” Then he said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” The king answered Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it from you for a price, for I will... Read more
Overcoming My Spiritual Weaknesses Accept anyone who is weak in faith, but don’t argue about doubtful issues. (Romans 14:1 HCSB) When Paul defines “weak in faith”, he is not talking about physical weaknesses such as disabilities. He is not talking about weakness as an opposite to physical strength. He is using a word that could be translated immature. Unlike Paul’s phrase “strong in weakness” in 2 Corinthians, Paul calls some people in the church the “weaker” brother. He means to... Read more
Godly Ecology A Davidic psalm. The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the LORD; (Psalms 24:1 HCSB) REDUCE – is defined in ecology as pollution reduction. But in God’s ecology, we should reduce our sin production. RE-USE – God wants me to re-use my talents and gifts. God has SHAPEd me to be used by Him, and then He wants to re-use me. We might buy something and use it one time, and then... Read more
The Role of the Government “For government is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For government is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong.” (Romans 13:4, HCSB) Government serves God’s purposes. What are God’s purposes for the government? It serves a two-fold purpose. First, the government is for my good. How can that be? Government is good for... Read more
God’s Time Limit on Evangelism “So that you will not be conceited, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery: A partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.” (Romans 11:25, HCSB) God’s time limit on evangelism. This was the mystery which God finally revealed in the New Testament. A mystery is something in the Old Testament which was unknown and which now has been revealed to be... Read more
A God Who Is Invisible, But Seen “For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became nonsense, and their senseless minds were darkened.” (Romans 1:20–21, HCSB) A God who is invisible, but seen. God... Read more
The Case for Congregationalism or Plurality of Elders “But some of the believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses!”” (Acts 15:5, HCSB) I have always heard that the reason for congregationalism as a church system is this: There was a business meeting in Acts 15. There was a dispute and they solved it as a congregation together in a business... Read more
Matthew 16:13-20 God’s Desire for Me and My Church Matthew 16:13-20 God’s Desire for Me and My Church is a sermon from the Book of Matthew about what God wants from me and my church. “And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.” (Matthew 16:18, HCSB) Jesus begins this conversation by taking a poll from His disciples. He asks: “When... Read more
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 Going Up Our theme verse is from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17, HCSB) This verse... Read more
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