“What would a man give, in exchange for his soul?” That’s a question that Jesus asked a multitude of people one day. Just prior to asking that question, Jesus asked this one; “For what does it profit a man, if he were to gain the whole world, and forfeit his own soul? (Mark 8:36-37). The question speaks for itself, there is nothing more valuable than you soul! …
Edify: To Build Up and to Strengthen In 1 Corinthians chapter 14, and verse 26, it says; “What then is it brethren? (in other words, What is the outcome) When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.” The apostle Paul is giving instructions concerning how…
The Four Gospels The first four books of the new testament, are referred to as “The Gospels”. They are the books written by Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John. It’s interesting to note, that only Mathew and John were apostles of Jesus Christ. Mark and Luke were disciples, but were not among the twelve chosen apostles. It’s known from the book of Acts, which Luke also wrote, that he…
How did Jesus open your eyes ? In John chapter 9, we find the story about a man who was born blind, and had lived that way into adulthood. But then one day, along came Jesus, and He opened the man’s eyes. It says in verses 1 & 2; “And as He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. And His disciples…
“The old has passed away, Behold, the new has come” Today I’d like us to focus on 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. The verse reads as follows; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” There are several versions of the bible, including the King James, that translate that as saying, “Behold, ALL…
Behold, the new has come! In 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, the apostle Paul makes some contrasts between things physical, and things spiritual. First he contrasts our physical bodies with our spiritual bodies which are to come. He says in verse 1; “For we know that if our earthly tent, which is our house, is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not…
What is a principle? A principle is like a foundation isn’t it? You can take a basic principle, and then build upon that principle. For instance; you can take the basic principle that “honesty is the best policy”, and you can build a lifetime pattern of behavior, upon that principle. Or, you can begin with more than one principle, and put them together, and build upon them. …
Sacrificing out of Love The old law of Moses, was mainly a physical law, with requirements that governed the daily lives of the people. Even the worship of God, under the old law, was full of physical ceremonial requirements. But when Jeremiah prophesied about the new law of Christ, he said, in Jeremiah 31:33; “But this is the covenant which I will make with the…
Are you serious? Is there a reason to take the bible seriously? Is there a reason that we should be concerned with what the bible says? We’ve got pretty good lives, what do we need the bible for? We eat good, we’ve got a lot of recreation available to us. Lots of fun things to do. We’ve got friends, we’ve got family. We’ve got belongings,…
In the book of Revelation, when Jesus was dictating letters to be sent to the seven churches of Asia, He said in Revelation 2, verse 14; “But I have a few things against you, because you have there some, who hold the teaching of Balaam; Who kept teaching Ba-lak’, to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to…
Study to Understand the Scriptures Last week, I left you with a question about Acts 2, verse 33. That verse says; “Therefore, having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit..” My question was; What exactly is “the promise of the Holy Spirit” that Jesus received from God the Father, after He was exalted? Before we answer…
True Knowledge, and False Knowledge The bible speaks of the “TRUE knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.” 2 Peter 1, verse 3. And it warns us about false knowledge, in 2 Peter 2, verses 1 thru 3. Here’s what it says; “But false prophets also arose among the people, (the reference there is to the people of Israel) just as there will…
The Pattern and History of our Giving I’d like to read the first four verses of 1 Corinthians chapter 16.. “Now concerning the collection for the saints; As I directed the congregations of Galatia, so do you also. Against the first day of every week, let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I arrive. And…
Reverend is His Name Psalm 111, verse 9, says; “He has sent redemption to His people. He has commanded His covenant forever. Holy and reverend is His name.” I think that a lot of people hear that verse, and think that the word “reverend” is a proper name for God. It’s kind of like saying; Bill is his name, or John is his name. When referring…
Salvation The most important question that we could ever ask, is; “What must I do to be saved”. If we don’t know HOW to be saved, it’s pretty much guaranteed, we WON’T be saved. But before we answer the question of HOW we can be saved, let’s consider this question; “What is it, that makes us UN-saved?” To be Un-saved, is to be lost. Jesus said in Luke 19, verse…
Severed from Christ? This question, “Can a Christian lose salvation?”, is asked over and over again. And the reason that it’s asked so repeatedly, is that people have the tendency to listen to the opinions of other people, instead of simply going to the word of God. If everyone would simply accept God’s word, as stated in the bible, the question would be put…
God’s Promise, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob The Lord our God, said to Abraham, in Genesis 12, verses 2 & 3; “And I will make you a great nation. And I will bless you, and make your name great, and so you will be a blessing. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Abraham was a very special person wasn’t he? God was…
“The Lord Helps those who Help themselves” You might think that saying comes from the bible, but it doesn’t. But I think a lot of times it’s true. Maybe it’s always true. We all have a job to do, if we want God’s blessings. Paul tells us in 2 Thessalonians 3, verse 10; “If anyone refuses to work, neither let him eat.” If we’re literally not able…
I forgive You Have you ever forgiven anyone? Has anyone ever forgiven you? What does it mean to forgive? What are you actually doing, when you forgive someone? To forgive can actually mean a few different things. Today I’d like you to consider three things that forgiveness can mean. Here’s the first thing that forgiving can mean; It can mean, to stop blaming. When you blame someone, aren’t you really…
Are The Scriptures The Words of God ? There’s a lot of people who believe that the bible is a complete “fake”, and that it was simply written by man, or actually, by many men. Obviously, many men must have been involved in the actual writing of the scriptures, because of the simple fact that some parts of the bible are of much older composition…