The Gospel Of Repentance

This is one of those apparent contradictory statements by Jesus again. I love these type of statements by the Lord. And why? Because it forces me to carefully examine the text to see what he meant by this controversial phrase.  Once again to understand what Jesus meant, we must understand the context in which he said it. Matthew 10:34-37 says, "Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth, but a sword . For I came to set a man against Father, and a Daughter against her Mother, and a Daughter-In-Law against her Mother-In-Law; and a man's enemies will be those of his own household. He who loves Father and Mother more than me is not worthy of me. And he who does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who will lose his life for my sake will find it." The prior verses tell us that Jesus had commissioned his disciples to preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, and cast of demons (...

In Psalm 139:21 we read David saying, "Do I not hate them O Lord that hate you? And am I not grieved with those that rise up against you? I hate them with perfect hatred. I count them my enemies." These feelings by David are in contradiction to what Jesus taught us about loving our enemies and doing good to them right (Matt 5:44)? So why did David feel justified in hating his enemies? How could he make such an out loud and brash statement like he did? The word hate is the Hebrew word miseo. The word has several meanings; malice, disregard, preferring one thing over another, dislike. David was justified in saying he hated those that hated God because those that hate God are his enemies, and are bent on committing evil. The nations that Israel had to drive out of Canaan were perversely wicked nations that God commanded them to destroy. Why? Because God hated those nations. Would God have commanded those nations be destroyed if he loved them?  Of course not. An evil person...

To those in the Charismatic and Pentecostal communities, the question is a no-brainer. They are convinced there is a heavenly language spoken of in the Bible. If so, where would one find this language? In 1 Corinthians 13 and 14.  In 1 Corinthians 13:1 we read, "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels ..." Now, when Paul says he speaks with the tongues of angels, is he speaking literally or figuratively? It would have to be figuratively. Every time an angel spoke in the Bible, they spoke in the language of the people they were talking to - not in some "angel talk". Yet many have determined that speaking with the tongues of angels is speaking in tongues. How they come to that conclusion is a mystery to me.  Are there two different gifts of tongues in the Bible? The reason I present this question is because there are those that believe and teach there are two types of tongues in scripture - one for the Church in public use that requires inte...

W hat does mean to be humble? With all of the seminars, books, and videos that tell us to "Believe in yourself", "You can create your own reality if you can just visualize it", it's no wonder why people today have very little or no humility at all. I am by no means advocating apathy, and not having confidence in one's abilities, but like most things we do as humans, we take it to the extreme. Too often many are overconfident in themselves to the degree that many believe they are better than those who they feel have not reached their status in life - money, education, corporate success, etc. Humble by definition means one of low degree, one of a lowly spirit. These are adjective forms of the word. This perfectly describes Jesus who said that he was gentle and humble in heart (Matt 11:29). To have humility is not a bad word. Some have misunderstood the term believing that to be humble is to exhibit weakness, to not have a backbone. To become a do...

The word Armageddon is the Hebrew word [Har]megiddon  which means mountain or plain of Megiddo. Megiddo is located in northern Israel in the valley of Jezreel. In ancient Biblical times battles were fought there. If you look closely at the map, you will see the half tribe of Manasseh to the left and Megiddo in the northern part of it.  In the 15th Century B.C. Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III fought against a group of Megiddo and Kadesh rulers. There are some that believe this is the same Pharaoh Moses and Aaron confronted when they demanded that Pharaoh let the Hebrews go free in the book of Exodus.  During the time of Joshua's and his army defeat of many kings, it is mentioned that the tribe of Manasseh (one of the 12 tribes of Israel) received the region of Megiddo (Josh 12:21). This is also the area where King Josiah of Judah is killed in 609 B.C. when battling against Pharaoh  Neco  (2 Kings 23:29 - 30, 2 Chr 35:20 - 35).  Th...

The above title is not an incorrect phrase. Everyone who will ever live soul will never die. God created the soul to exist forever. So no one ceases to exist as some have taught. There is no such things as annihilation-ism.  The Bible in Daniel 12:1-2 says, "At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such has never been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name is written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt."   What Daniel is explaining is that those who are currently dead will be resurrected, that is raised out of the grave to receive judgment. Those who died in Christ will receive everlasting life, and those who died in sin will receive eternal damnation.  In John 5:28-29 we read Jesus speaking, "Do not...

What is this practice or phenomenon known as the slain in the spirit? Well, it is when people in the Church supposedly fall out under the power of God when hands are laid on them for physical healing or some other blessing. The biggest advocate of this practice is televangelist Benny Hinn. He is notorious for waving his hands or his coat in front of people and they fall backward under the supposed power of God.   See what happens in this video clip: https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvx0xjnBGh0   To say Benny Hinn and those like him are frauds is an understatement. One does not receive the anointing of God by someone waving their hands or coat at you - ridiculous! What we are witnessing is a dog-and-pony show and not the power of God. It is utter blasphemy and shameful that men in pulpits across America would engage in this type of behavior in the name of Jesus. To be slain in the Spirit is not biblical. It makes the true Church of Jesus Christ look fo...

"No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man.  God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape that you may be able to bear it."                                                                                                                         - 1 Corinthians 10:13 I woke up this morning with this verse on my mind for some reason so I felt I needed to write about it. Paul the writer is saying that any temptation we go through is a common temptation, it is not something strange that is happening to the believer. The word temptation in the Greek is   peirasmos   which...

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The will of man is a gift given to us by our creator. It is one of the things that makes us like God - in that we have the ability to make choices. It also has been a point of it seems like an everlasting conflict between mankind and worse, between man and God.  What I would like to do is compare the two wills, how they differ from one another, and how they operate in the area of our salvation. Man has free will in every area of his life, but tragically because of our sinful nature inherited from Adam and Eve, our will is in bondage to our sin. Herein lies a paradox - we are free to choose, but at the same time, our freedom to choose is hindered because of our inherent wickedness. As a result, the choices we often make are evil.  Comparing our will against God's will is important because it reveals His perfect will versus our flawed will. God's will is autonomous. What that means is God is sovereign and He can do whatever He wants to do. We may think we can d...

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The idea of eternal security in Christ should provide believers with relief and it does for those of us who understand that salvation is eternal. But for some who over analyze this wonderful truth, it has become a stumbling block. Let me explain what I mean. I have read articles and spoken to some who believe that eternal security somehow is ultimately contingent upon man to secure it. Now if that is true, then Christ's atonement on the cross was not sufficient. For many   believe it cannot be that easy - for Christ to die and someone repents and believes and they are saved eternally. The question must be asked then. "What if someone believes in the work of Christ on the cross, but still lives the same way they did before their profession of faith?" This is an excellent question. Let's explore this. The one who made the profession of faith in Christ yet still lives as if they are unsaved most likely is still unsaved. Remember if a person is genuinely born o...

Does the Bible provide examples to the above question? Yes. There are many examples of what is called righteous indignation. We should be angry about what the Lord is angry about. Unfortunately, we are often laughing and making light of what God hates. We can attribute that to our fallen sinful nature. We are so desensitized to sin that things that are heinous in the sight of God are pleasurable to us.  Jesus said in John 3:19b, "Men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were (and are) evil". Yes, this is one of those articles that will step on toes, mine included. And by me writing this article, it makes me even more culpable for my actions - something the natural man hates to admit.  Phineas Phineas was a priest during the time of Moses. He was the son of Eleazar who was the son of Aaron, the first High Priest of Israel. Aaron and Moses were brothers.  Aaron was dead by this time and his son Eleazar was installed as High Priest after hi...

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We all use the word fool every day. It's part of our daily vocabulary. We call people fools when someone does something we do not like, and we use it often times in jest toward one another. Are there times when we should not call someone a fool? I would like to examine that in this article. The word fool has several meanings. One Hebrew word is nabal. This is a person who is a deviant in their behavior, who is ungodly and plots evil. In the Proverbs, the fool is primarily described as one who lacks wisdom because they despise instruction - they act without thinking. This Hebrew word is ewil. Another Hebrew word is kesil. This person is obstinate, arrogant, has no desire for wisdom, Godly wisdom - they not only commit evil, they enjoy wickedness. They also refuse rebuke.  That type of person is a wrecking ball and should be avoided. They are incorrigible.  In Matthew 5:21-22 we read, "You have heard that the ancients were told, "You shall not commit murder, an...

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   Some would look at the title of this message as a question and it would be okay to look at it that way. Everyone else that has ever lived has died and has remained dead. Even those who Jesus raised from the dead like Lazarus eventually died again (John 11:43).  Why do we die? Because of sin.     Romans 6:23 declares, "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." This verse has a negative and a positive. The morbid truth is we all die because of sin, but the wonderful contrast is that eternal life is given to all freely who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for their soul salvation.      Here's a question that MUST be answered, since Jesus never committed any sin, why did he have to die? The Bible answers that question for us; to be a propitiation for mankind's sins. What in the world does propitiation mean? It is the Greek word hilasmos. This means Christ's sacrifice was the me...

A simple but most important question. Many years ago I was heading home from work on the bus. I was sitting in the back and heard a man say, “well you know man wrote the Bible!” Since he was in my earshot, I felt compelled to tell him that that was an untrue statement. Surprisingly, he listened to me as I presented my case. The scripture I used to prove my point was 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is theopneustos in the original Greek language or God-breathed, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete or mature, equipped for every good work.” The man’s reply to me was, “You’re the first person to ever tell me that!” Why do I bring this matter up? Because it is essential that we as believers can 1) know the origin of the Bible, and 2) be able to properly defend its truthfulness (1 Pet 3:15; Jude 3). If we believe man wrote the Bible, then it is no different than any other false religious bo...