The Book of Jude, A Letter From God Verse 1; “Jude, servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James; To those loved by God, even called and guarded in Jesus Christ.” That might be just slightly different from the wording in your bible, but that is the most literal translation of the verse. “..To those loved by God, even called and guarded in Jesus Christ.” Instead…
What Your Anger Says About You I read a comment recently that made me stop and think. The comment suggested that the things which make us angry, say a lot about us, as human beings, and as Christians. And I realized that there’s a lot of truth in that statement, especially for the Christian. Christians have no business feeling angry, about a lot of the things that we…
The Scepter of the Kingdom of God Consider if you would, the words of Hebrews 1, verse 8; “..And the scepter of righteousness, is the scepter of Thy kingdom.” A scepter is basically a rod, or a staff; However a scepter is almost always an ornamented staff, or a decorated staff, that a king or an emperor would carry in his hands, especially on ceremonial occasions. …
Does your Spirit Possess the Proper Spirit ? In 1968, Kenny Rogers was with a group called The First Edition, and they recorded a song called “I Just Dropped In, To See What Condition My Condition Was In”. And that became the chorus of the song.. “To see what condition my condition was in”. I suppose maybe you’d call that, a play-on-words, and the reason that I…
Concerning James 5, Verses 13 thru 20 Verse 13 introduces a new subject matter, from the previous verses. James had been talking about those who trust in their riches, instead of trusting in God. And he had been talking about how the rich sometimes persecute the poor. And he talked about being patient, and waiting on the Lord, to receive the Lord’s blessings. And he talked about treating one…
How Are Christians Anointed ? You’ve undoubtedly heard of the ancient practice of someone being anointed with oil. In the old testament, the word “oil” literally means “fat”. Most of the time, when the old testament talks about oil, it’s talking about olive oil. And the oil from the olive, is referred to as “the fat” of the olive. And when someone was anointed with oil,…
God is on My Side ! Psalm 56, verse 9 says; “Then shall my enemies turn back, in the day that I call; This I know, that God is for me!” Psalm 111:6 says; “Jehovah is on my side, I will not fear. What can man do unto me?” Is God on Your Side ? I want to read a quote from Jesus. …
Ecclesiastes Chapter 12 (1) “Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the evil days come, and the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them. (2) While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: (3) In the day when the keepers of the…
The Truth, and Nothing but The Truth In Acts 20, and verse 27, the apostle Paul made this statement; “For I have not shunned to declare to you, the whole counsel of God.” Think about that for a minute.. The WHOLE counsel of God! That’s a lot of counsel. And it’s a lot of things to know. And it’s a lot to try to live…
Tis The Season The bible tells us, in Ecclesiastes 3, verse 1; “For everything, there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.” A “season” is a definite, appointed time; A “time” appointed by God. We’re told in verse 2; “There is, a “time to be born, and a time to die”. Galatians 4, verse 4 says; “But when the fullness of time…
What is Redemption ? I’d like to begin by sharing a few verses from Psalm 49. First, verses 5 thru 7; “Why should I fear in days of adversity, when the iniquity of my foes surrounds me? (why would I fear, the Psalmist asks) “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For Thou art with me; Thy…
The Riches of God You’re familiar with the parable of the Prodigal God, right? The “Prodigal God”? Yes.. No..? How about the “Prodigal Son”? You’re familiar with that one aren’t you? Well, it’s the same parable.. The Prodigal Son, or, The Prodigal God.. same parable. I’ll explain that to you in a few minutes, but first, I’d like to talk to you about some…
James 3, Verses 13 thru 18 Listen to James 3, verse 13, from the New American Standard version; “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show, by his good behavior, his deeds, in the gentleness of wisdom.” Most versions use the word “works” instead of “deeds”, and I think that fits better in this verse. But I also think that the wording…
God’s Covenants and God’s Salvation Today I want to continue our study about God’s covenants. And I want to show you how God’s covenants, are intertwined, with God’s eternal “purpose”, which is the salvation of man’s soul. Often times, we refer to this “eternal purpose”, as God’s “plan of salvation”. But in Ephesians 3, verse 11, God calls it His “purpose”. Here’s what it says…
James Chapter 3, Verse 1 James Chapter 3, verse 1, says; “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing, that we will receive greater, judgment.” James is classifying himself there, as a “teacher”. A “teacher” in that verse and others, refers to someone who not only “teaches” God’s word, but it refers to someone who is specially “equipped” and “qualified”, to teach others; About…
I Believe that Jesus is the Christ ! I believe that Jesus is the Christ, for just one reason. And that one reason is, the bible. I believe it, because of everything that’s written in the bible. The prophecies, the fulfillment of those prophecies, the miracles, the testimonies; Like this testimony from the apostle John, in 1 John 1, verse 1, and verse 3; “That which…
Three Accounts of the Lord’s Supper Mathew, Mark, and Luke, all give an account of the evening when Jesus gave His instructions about the Lord’s supper. But they don’t all give exactly the same account. And that’s where the problem begins. People then claim that the bible contradicts itself, and therefore cannot be trusted. How can the bible be the word of God, if it can’t…
The Silence of the Scriptures, and Our Worship Jesus said, in Luke 4, verse 8; “..It is written; You shall worship the Lord thy God, and Him only, shall you serve.” The bible isn’t silent about worshipping God. “It is written; You SHALL worship, the Lord thy God..” And it’s also written, in John 4:24; “God is Spirit, an those who worship Him, MUST worship in…
Romans 6, Verse 14 A verse that causes some confusion, is Romans 6:14, which says; “For sin shall not have dominion over you; For you are not under law, but under grace.” Obviously “law” and “grace” are being contrasted here; But there are two specific things, concerning “law” and “grace”, which are being addressed, and we need to understand what those two things are. The two…
An Everlasting Covenant Today I want to talk about the subject, of what the bible calls, an “everlasting covenant”. The bible uses the phrase “everlasting covenant”, fifteen times, in the King James Version. That phrase is used fourteen times in the old testament, and once in the new testament. But the phrase doesn’t always refer to the same covenant. That phrase is actually used in reference to four different…