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• A Reader Asks: Today our Pastor brought a lesson about Hell. I was at first encouraged because he has typically avoided …

  Question:Today our Pastor brought a lesson about Hell. I was at first encouraged because he has typically avoided tough topics like sin or hell. In the end, I was thoroughly disappointed because it ended up being a “life can be hell, and Jesus can fix it” sermon. What are your thoughts about that? Answer:This whole “living without God during this life is ‘hell’” or “life can be hell” is just “Osteen-lite”. It’s feel good, watered-down pop culture Christianity. I hate it when HELL is diminished with such pabulum. Hell is a real place of torment, darkness and separation. It is not lightly analogous to an unpleasant and “unvictorious” life here on earth. That is pop culture vomit that only serves to keep people from thinking [...]

• A Reader Asks: Why don’t you believe in Apostles operating today? Why should the verses about “some being Apostles” …

  Question:Why don’t you believe in Apostles operating today? Why should the verses about “some being Apostles” be split up into “that was for then” and “this is for today”? Answer:I could give you a long theological answer about “cessationism” but many people have written about that already. What I want to do is give the logical options we face and then let the reader progress from there.The crux of the matter is: “that was for then” and “this is for today” which we hear alot concerning many Christian issues: miracles, spiritual gifts, tongues, certain offices like Apostle, hair covering, customs, etc. You can’t answer any of these questions until you answer the foundational question: WERE SOME THINGS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT FOR “THEN” AND NOT [...]

• The Basic Christian Life: Today Not Tomorrow – Part 13

  (Click here to search for all the posts in this series…) James 4:14 …whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. (NKJV) Christianity is about TODAY.  That doesn’t mean we have no care or plans for the future. It means we know that our future is in God’s hands and we don’t place our TRUST in our own schemes and declarations. Consider what James says starting with 4:13: 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and [...]

• You Must Have Forgotten – Part 9

  (Click here to search for all the posts in this series…) 2 Peter 1:9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. (NKJV)The shortsighted person in this verse has neglected, never learned or temporarily traded his new divine nature (v.3) and gone back to his old sinful life. The Apostle Peter is bluntly reminding this person that he has very poor spiritual sight, valuing the old sinful way of life over the new eternal divine nature of Christ.2 Peter 1:5-7 – But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, [...]

• Jesus – The Most Life Affirming Name I Know – Part 7

  (Click here to search for all the posts in this series…) Philippians 2:10-11 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (NKJV)“Jesus… the sweetest name I know”… the only name around which our entire, moment-by-moment existence should revolve. The more we come to understand the extent and depth to which Jesus affects this universe, the harder it becomes to go any length of time without thinking of Him. At some point, hopefully, every Christian will figure outthat Jesus Christ is the absolute CENTER of life. He is the center of [...]

• Reducing Expenses – Don ‘t Buy New!

  One of the residual benefits of American prosperity for prudent folks is that pretty much everything you need to buy can be found in like-new condition for pennies on the dollar. If you are running down to Walmart, BestBuy or the mall to buy new items, you are simply WASTING money. Light up a hundred dollar bill, and watch it burn. That is the same exact result you will achieve by visiting department stores and shopping malls. I don’t know hardly anyone who doesn’t have lots of stuff to "garage sale", too many clothes, too many toys, to many gadgets, too much STUFF. We’re not talking wealthy people… this is the norm for run-of-the-mill middle-class folks. Here are some places to buy like-new stuff for [...]

• Abby: More Times For Faith Are Coming

  (Abby slept peacefully after a very rough procedure on Friday that left her in much pain.)“Hell”… that is the word Abby’s doctor used to describe the 60 days of treatment that starts on Wednesday.Lamentations 3:22-23 Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. As Christians, we cringe a little to compare anything in this life to the real Biblical Hell, but we understand what the Doctor is trying to communicate. This is a life-threatening, miserable time of suffering for Abby. Her smallest chance of survival will come during this phase of chemotherapy, and if she does get through it, she may have to do it twice.Over the next few [...]