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Serving Christ

One of my favorite Scriptures is found in the last chapter of Joshua, "And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. . . But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD" (Joshua 24:15) I purposefully left part of this verse out to get to the heart of the matter. Joshua was giving the Israelites a speech prior to their entering the Promised Land. He was telling them that they could choose to serve either the gods of the people who dwell in the land, or they could choose to serve the Lord.

Sin in the Life of a Christian

We know from reading the Scriptures that Christ was without sin; there was no sin in His life. It was because of this fact that He was able to carry our sin to the cross so that we can have forgiveness. It was through the sinless life of Christ that it became possible that He was the perfect sacrifice. God would accept nothing less than a perfect sacrifice for our sin. Therefore, we can know with assurance that because of Christ's death on the cross we can have forgiveness of sin and look forward to life in eternity with our Heavenly Father.

"If You Love Me, You'll Keep My Commandments"

How do we know that God and His Son loves us? It is quite simple. Just read the Bible and you will see that it is, in many respects, a love letter to His creation - man. We see that the Bible is brimming with indications of love from God and Jesus Christ. Have you ever had a prayer answered? I have, and many times in an awesome way. Have you ever been delivered from what seemed like eminent danger. Again, I have on several occasions. These are also indications of God's love.

Is Jesus Really the Son of God?

Is Jesus really the Son of God? All Christian belief is based on the fact that He is. But, if a non-believer were to question you on this fact, indeed to challenge you on it, could you respond in an intelligent manner? How do you know that Jesus is the Son of God? It is true that we must have faith that Jesus is God's Son. However, in Acts 1:3 we see that Jesus presented Himself to His apostles after He was resurrected and demonstrated that He was alive "by many infallible proofs." The New Testament is full of examples of these proofs. Let's take a look a what the Bible has to say in regards to the deity of Jesus.

How We Got The Holy Bible

Have you ever stopped to consider what the Bible really is. For sure, it is the word of God. But it is more than that. It is history, poetry, proverbs, parables, allegories, biography, correspondence, diaries, prophecy, and apocalyptic literature. But it is still more. From Genesis 1:1 all the way through to the last verse of Revelation there is a plan by which man can receive salvation and the promise of God for eternal life with Jesus Christ. This plan is like a scarlet cord which runs all the way through the Old and New Testaments. But still, it is more. The Bible is God's love letter to mankind.

Holiness

A subject which seem to have been all but forgotten in America today is Holiness. As a matter of fact, in some circles it has almost taken on a negative connotation. I'm sure you have heard the phrase "holier than thou" used before to speak of someone. Perhaps that person was really trying to have holiness in his/her life. But because of the negative thoughts and attitudes of others, it was perceived as an undesirable trait rather than an admirable one.

Are You Serious About Being A Christian?

Are you serious about BEING a Christian? Sometimes I see people who profess to being Christian but I don't see Christian fruit developing in their lives. I know that the Bible teaches us that we are not to judge others, and I certainly don't mean it in that respect. However, the Bible also teaches us that if we are a Christian, if we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within us, then specific fruits (fruits of the Spirit) will be evident in our lives. (See Galatians 5:22 and Ephesians 5:9) If we don't see the evidence of these fruits, then we wonder if the person is serious about his/her Christian walk.

Don't Quench The Spirit

I started this ministry because I see something happening in our churches that is a deep concern to me. There are far too many of our members who attend worship services who are not, and are not becoming, grounded in the word of God. I also see many members who are drifting away from the fellowship of the church. If their faith was strong and their love for God mature, I don't think this would happen.

Is Hell A Real Place?

Is Hell a real place, or is it just a symbolic representation of a place where bad people should go? Does it really exist, or is the Bible trying to give us some insight into the torment that non-believers have in their final days of existence on earth? Or is it just fantasy put in the Bible to persuade people to believe in God? I once heard a preacher say, "You can believe whatever you want to about whether hell is real or not, but it does not change the fact that it is a real place of torment for non-believers." Let's take a look at what the Bible has to say about hell.

Did Jesus Go To Hell?

Not too long ago, a dear friend of mine ask me the question, "Did Jesus go to hell after He died on the cross?" To be honest about it, this question caught me a little off guard. In further discussion, I learned that my friend had been taught that during the three days that Jesus' body was in the tomb, His spirit was in hell "paying for our sins." I told him that this was not my understanding of what actually took place during that three-day period, but I would research the question and get back to him. This article is in response to my friend's question.

Baptism

Baptism is perhaps the most misunderstood and misinterpreted concept in the Bible. There are those who would have us believe that baptism is not necessary for salvation. Others will say that it a good thing to do, and we really ought to, but it is strictly optional. Still others say that baptism is necessary, but only to join the local church.

"Be Still, And Know That I Am God"

I was recently asked to give devotions at our annual family reunion. The Bible text I used as the basis for my remarks was, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" (Psalm 46:10) In my family were several preachers (my grandfather was one of great stature), singers, piano players, church leaders, and good Christian men and women. I talked about the Christian heritage of our family and that through the lives of those who have gone on to their reward, God has given us that remain a message: "Be still, and know that I am God." As I reflect on this passage, I realize that God has given us this message in many different ways. In this article I would like to share with you just a few that come to mind.

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