God is generously gracious to give us life in this world. However, we must also be aware that in this world we will wrestle and sometimes walk into trails or storms that we did not prerecord in our individual itineraries.
Read MoreThe other day I was interested in going to the local grocery store to pick up some produce. Speaking of grocery store, as a kid I never referenced the nomenclature. Supermarket, convenient store, grocery store were all basically called “the store”. As I was saying, the purpose of my recent trip to the grocery store was to look for some fruit. Upon entering the produce department, I did not casually select a few items and leave. The fruit I was looking for had to be examined in order for me to entertain the idea of taking it home for my enjoyment. Just as God designed various trees with the ability to produce fruit, He also gave us the capacity to produce spiritual fruit for the purpose to being shared by the body of Christ to enjoy. Just as I subjected the fruit in the store to an examination, God also wants us to examine our spiritual fruit.
Read MoreFor this week’s blog, I like you to consider with me a word or term that you will not find in the dictionary. However, I submit to you that this word is a consistent characteristic of a carnal church. The word Churchianity is a word that I am employing for our edification. It is a word that reflects a church that is rigid in rules and rejects the truth of a real relationship with the Lord made possible by His grace and gift of eternal life through Christ’s death and resurrection.
Read MoreHarvesting is defined as the process of gathering a supply of something that has reached maturity and is then stored. Another word for maturity is complete. I submit to you that evidence of a growing Christian is his or her capacity to harvest humility.
Read MoreOne of the core beliefs of secular humanists is that through science and reason they can conclude that their existence is independent from any divine creator. Consequently, they determine that they are the center and catalyst for civilization. Consider the following excerpt from their Manifesto:...
Read MoreWe all enjoy new things that bring us happiness: new people, places and things. There is something invigorating and refreshing about newness. We typically try to avoid what is stale, dull and dry! Like, who wants toast that is SDD – stale, dull and dry? I prefer my toast hot, soft, saturated with butter and blessed with a lot of strawberry jelly! Did you know that the manna that came from heaven had strawberry jelly on it! No that's the PBKV – Pastor Bernard King Version.
Read More“HE IS NOT HERE, FOR HE IS RISEN” is a statement that emphatically echoes the eternal truth that transcends all others. Faiths which are not rooted in a resurrected Lord and Savior result in the following consequences:
No Resurrection = No Reason to Live
No Resurrection = No Relationship
No Resurrection = No Right Religion
No Resurrection = No Reality of Heaven and Eternal Life
Are you rejoicing in the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?
Last week, we touched on the fact that the Holy Spirit enjoys efficacy and is essential to our existence as followers of faith in Jesus Christ. Remember that the word efficacy advances the concept of the capacity for producing a desired result or effect; the ability to accomplish or do something.
Some time ago I was laboring in love to lay down a foundation of understanding with respect to the Holy Spirit. The individual I was ministering to had experienced a life devoured by drugs and depression. God, by His gregarious and generous grace, moved the person I was ministering to open their heart for the gospel.
There are a considerable degree of misconceptions as well as some flat-out falsehoods about the identity, ministry and work of the Holy Spirit. Some see the Holy Spirit as a mystical and impersonal force. This position about the Holy Spirit reminds me of a character in one of the Star Wars movies; Rogue One -A Star Wars Story. In Rogue One there was a monk named Chirrut Îmwe (played by Donnie Yen) who had aligned himself with the rebel forces. Whenever he would find himself in dire straits or difficult and dangerous situations, he chanted his so-called mantra in order to secure his focus and position himself in a place of calm: “I am one with the Force and the Force is with me.”
Read MoreOne of the many changes in my life and in the lives of others that have surrendered to our Lord and Savior is that there must have been a divine divorce with our old man. Remember the old man is identified as the nature of humanity that hates heaven’s power (the Holy Spirit) and is hostel to the will and Word of God. The old man is always willing to make a home for the influence of hell. According to Ephesians 4:22, we are charged by Christ to put our old man away from us. Our decision must be deliberate and denotes a change of influence as well as priority. So by His power, God has delivered us from the old man’s lies, lasciviousness and lust.
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