“For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.” Ephesians 5:8-14 As the new year awaits us and Christmas comes to a close, by the end of the we
If you were to take one guess as to what the biggest problem within churches are today, what would that be? Assuming the church worships truthfully and is otherwise scriptural in all other aspects; what is the principal struggle within your church? I’ll give you a hint; the church is a family, a conglomerate of various personalities, backgrounds, and viewpoints. It is made up of many different people working towards a common goal. What would you guess is the prevailing obstacle for a married couple? What about for a father and a daughter, or a mother and a son? Where do arguments and discords tend to arise most? I hope you guessed it. They are a result, or more pointedly, a consequence of Co
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23-25) I might be taking this passage out of context just a little bit in order to justify my thoughts here, but the overarching meaning and application remains the same. The holiday season is nearly upon us! Everything is covered in a brisk and sparkling white blanket of snow outside; presents are beginning to accumulate under the tree; bank accounts are crying
“...And out of them the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” -2 Timothy 3:11-12 These verses say it all. If you want the life God has in store for you, it isn’t going to come easily. You will experience hate, oppression, and horrible prejudices. Loved ones will leave you, best friends will turn from you, and you, your own self, will sometimes think that horrible thought: Is it all worth it? “... looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down on the right hand of the throne of God.” -Hebrews 12:2 The comfort this verse gives
"23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (John 4:23-24) We talk a lot in the church about our focus and about our mindset. When it comes to singing we are to sing “songs, hymns, and spiritual songs.” We are to sing unto the Lord with our hearts through the only authorized instrument; our voice. We are refined by the way the song makes us feel; we learn that having the name “Jesus” on our lips makes what precedes and what proceeds spiritual. You are not singing to God if you are not singing with your
Dear Brothers and Sisters, As we head into the month of June lets rededicate ourselves to the work of our Lord and reinforce the teachings we've heard. As we discussed on Sunday this short walk on Earth is our proving ground, this is where we make our case, this is our justification to where we want to spend eternity. Sometimes we can get caught up in the busyness of our own lives, to give preference to self, and to put ourselves on the throne. I find, for myself personally, that the most difficult thing to give up is not money or material things but rather my time. Whats even harder to give up is not the excess free time during the day or the time we've set aside for one anther but rathe
