Biblical Truth and Discipleship
"One can only cringe at the “wrath of God” that awaits those public officials in government who, by passing legislation which not only does not restrain evil but in fact encourages it, have made it possible for millions to yield to the temptation to sin."
The remedy to a materialistic and shallow Christmas celebration is to remember your first love--Christ. Remember His birth on this day and make it the focus of the celebration. Remember the joy of the newborn Christ who was the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords wrapped in swaddling cloths,
There has been an increased interest in the Bible as new waves of truth seekers have begun reading it. But many of these seekers find it difficult to understand. They need help from knowledgeable mentors and instructions on how to proceed. This ministry exists to guide seekers toward biblical understanding.
Tragedies such as both World Wars, the Great Plague of the 14th century, the great Irish Famine, the Indonesian tsunami of 2004, the 911 attack, and Covid 19 brought people to their knees in grief. Many of these calamities reminded people that mankind is not in control of natural disasters and therefore hope can only be found in a power greater than man's ingenuity and capabilities.
The psalms are a book about God in relation to His people and it differs from the other books of the Bible because the verses in this book are not just God's words to man, they are also man's words to God. The message of Psalm 1 is that when God extends blessings on a believer, He is pronouncing His favor and His approval of that person. It is through faith and faithfulness that brings a person into God's favor.
There has been a recent rise in vicious and violent crimes where evil seems to be running rampant. Evil men appear to be able to operate with impunity because there seems to be a lack of good men to stop them. Where have all the good men gone? This is a call to raise up the righteous to defend the defenseless!
John Owen observed that Christians were well aware of why sin was to be resisted, but they were not properly instructed in how to resist it. His response was to write a type of guidebook for Christians to use in their struggles against sin---"The Mortification of Sin."
Every person finds the concept of heaven fascinating, whether they are believers or not. The idea of an afterlife is found in most of the religious beliefs of the world. It is as if the concept of a blissful afterlife is hard wired in humans. I believe it is because the perception of heaven, or an afterlife of eternal bliss has been placed in the spirit of mankind as a means to offer hope in a harsh and chaotic world.
Just like the visions of Zechariah, the visions of Ezekiel provide a glimpse behind the veil that separates the physical world and the spiritual world. These visions often presented physical images of spiritual realities that the prophets struggled to explain.
In this exposition of the first of Zechariah's Night Visions, the reader and bible student is presented with a teaching on the interpretation of prophetic visions. It was demonstrated that deep study and research can yield great rewards. Aspects that are not apparent in a casual reading of the material are discovered through this type of study. This leads to greater insight into the riches of the Word of God which brings wisdom to the believer.
The book of Zechariah begins with a rebuke from God to the Israelites for having deserted Him and engaging in evil deeds. God calls on the people to return to Him through repentance so that He can return to them. The Lord works through the prophet Zechariah by delivering eight visions which reveal messages that are to be given to the people for their encouragement.
This segment of the Reading the Bible series will focus on the use of visions and dreams by God as an instrument of divine revelation. The books of the prophets contain many of these visions which they received from God and recorded them as they were instructed by the angelic messengers.
The Prosperity Gospel is a clever scheme that draws on a person's desire for material gain instead of a desire to seek God. It presents a false gospel that is contrary to the Gospel of Christ---which makes it a doctrine of demons.
These same words could be preached today, and they would be just as true as they were 180 years ago. What was needed then, is the same thing that is needed now--A robust teaching on the Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. As Rev. McCheyne proclaimed in his sermon, "if ever you are to be saved, you must know Him." He also informs us that the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts to make us love God and hate sin.
The Puritans stood their ground and continued to preach the Word of God and to live exceptional lives of godliness. Their standard for holy living was quite high but Scripture was their guidebook and God was their judge, so their moral principles were indeed uncompromising.
The Gospels are the collected works of four of the Apostles, who as eyewitnesses to the events surrounding the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus, recorded them as evidence of their truthfulness.
Hosea 4:6 Teaching Ministry 