Questions and answers relating to Christian conduct
Who is “Poor” in Spirit? Jesus said in Mathew 5, verse 3; “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” I was reading in Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, and it says that “poor” means.. “to be beggarly, and destitute, and afflicted”, and that it refers to “one who is crouched in wretchedness”. And then it says; “It has always had a bad…
Are You For God, Or Against God? Would you open your bibles to Mathew chapter 12; I want to read verses 30, 31, and 32; Verse 30 says; “He who is not with Me, is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.” Jesus is teaching that there is no “middle ground” when it comes to God. You’re either for God, or you’re against…
The Fatness of God The bible says, in Psalm 36, verses 7 & 8; “How precious is Thy lovingkindness O God! And the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings. They drink their fill, of the fatness of Thy house, and Thou does give them to drink of the river of Thy delights.” What’s “the fatness of God”?…
What’s the “Nature” of Man? The bible tells us that a human being is made up of two “natures”. We have a physical nature, and we have a spiritual nature. Genesis 2, verse 7 tells us; Then the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, (that’s our physical nature) and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life..” (that’s our spiritual…
Literal Translations vs Paraphrasing Most English versions of the bible do a pretty good job of trying to give a literal translation of what has been written in the original Greek text. However, at times, the translators personal opinions have entered into their decision on how to translate a word. An example of this is how the KJ translators, have translated the word “Passover”, in Acts 12,…
Faith or Works, or Both? The title of this lesson is ” Justification By Faith, Perfected By works”. But let me explain exactly what is meant by that.. The justification that God gives to a person, is because of their faith, which has been “perfected”, or “made complete”, through their works. The word “works” simply refers to deeds that are done. But I’m not talking about doing…
Are You in as Good a Condition, as You Used to be ? Suppose you needed to buy a car, but you didn’t have much money, you’d probably have to look for an older car, that didn’t cost so much. But then you’d have to worry about what condition it would be in. So you find someone advertising an old car, and you ask him; How does…
Blushing Have you ever felt embarrassed, and blushed because of it? Listen to what an encyclopedia says about blushing; “If we blush about doing something we shouldn’t have done, it shows that we are ashamed or embarrassed, that we recognize that something is out of place. It shows that we are sorry about this. It shows that we want to put things right. To blush at…
Take Time to Smell the Roses Have you ever heard this saying; “Nature doesn’t hurry, but everything gets accomplished”. Isn’t it nice how that works? No hurry, but yet everything gets accomplished. The bible says; “There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every delight under heaven.” Eccl 3, verse 1 We’re a part of nature; Why…
Abiding In Christ In our previous lesson, we considered the worship act of partaking of the Lord’s supper on the first day of the week. The first day of the week is the only day mentioned in scripture, as the day when Christians engaged in this worship act. Since we’re told in 2 John, verse 9, to “abide in the teaching of Christ”, and to…
I want to talk about at least five aspects of giving. And those five aspects are; Bountifully, (or generously) Cheerfully, Purposefully, Proportionately, and Sacrificially. Giving Generously The Lord tells us in 2 Corinthians 9, verse 6, to give generously. That verse says; “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly, shall also reap sparingly; And he who sows bountifully, shall also reap bountifully.” It’s…
Would You Wish To See Jesus ? It’s recorded in John 12, verse 21, that some people said to the apostle Philip; “Sir, we would see Jesus.” How many of you would like to see Jesus? I hope you’d like to, because the bible says, your gonna. The bible says everyone’s gonna see Him. Revelation 1, verse 7 tells us; “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and…
The Gift of Tongues The new testament records instances, of various people speaking in tongues. “Tongues” means “languages”. And when people spoke in these languages which they had never been taught, it was a sign from God, that the person speaking in these languages, was speaking God’s word. In other words, they were speaking the truth! And their ability to speak in tongues, was proof,…
Now That You’re A Christian, Now what? The apostle Paul wrote, in Galatians 2, verse 20; “I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me.” When you become a Christian, there needs…
John 8, verses 2 thru 11 I’d like to read to you a short bible story about Jesus, and the scribes and the Pharisees, and an adulterous woman. The reading is from John chapter 8, verses 2 thru 11. Follow along in your own bible if you’d like. “Then early in the morning, again He came into the temple (The outer courtyard of the temple, is no doubt is…
Karma.. I hear a lot of people talking about Karma these days. They say, what goes around, comes around; In other words, someday you’re going to get treated the same way you treat other. People say; I don’t worry about getting revenge, I just let Karma take it’s course. But that’s really not what the notion of Karma originally refers to. Karma has it’s origin in Hinduism. …
Are Christians Expected to Gather Together for Worship? It is common for Christians to assemble together on the first day of the week to worship God. We’re instructed to come together for worship, and in the bible, we’re given the example of first century Christians coming together for worship. The entire fourteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians deals with the subject of coming together for worship. Verse 19 says; …
But You Can’t Take The Country Out Of The Boy You’ve heard that saying haven’t you? “You can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.” You can change that around, and you could say; You can take the boy out of the city, or you can take the girl out of the city, or you can take…
Do You attend Worship to be Edified, or to be Gratified? I think a lot of people attend worship for the wrong reasons. First of all, our worship is something that we are giving God. It’s not something we’re supposed to be giving to ourselves. Jesus reminds us in Luke 4, verse 8, that “It is written; You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve…
It Feels Good To Worship God! Some things just make us happy, don’t they? And for a Christian, it should make us happy, to worship God. If you love God, why wouldn’t you be glad to worship Him? Why wouldn’t it feel good to pray to Him? Why wouldn’t it feel good to be with God? Of course, we don’t have to be in a worship…