The Gospel Of Repentance

There is warfare within my being the part I hate is prevailing  my steps are slippery I'm unsure ground my judgments are those of a fool Apprehension is laughing at me focus  has forsaken me long ago I cry   a loud   to God for I need him so for my indecision has me in derision Are there any faithful around someone who can instruct me now are all the sons of men unwise as I hear can anyone lend a hand I'm sick of myself and my trifling ways when will I ever change  for I'm engaged in struggles with the Angel like Jacob and my hip is out of joint When I intend to do well evil is present when will I ever break free can't lay hold of  righteousness once credited to my account for wickedness has me overdrawn For in confusion I scribe and by   faith   I pray for  ignorance is baptized in its pool for wisdom's a mirage and anguish an ocean as I struggle to keep afloat I'm on the edg...

When most people talk about being baptized, they strictly refer to water baptism. For many, this equates to salvation, but that is not true; water baptism never saved anyone. There is a baptism that saves, and that is the one I want to discuss. Baptize by definition means to immerse, submerge. It also means to dip. Baptism into death In Romans 6:3-11 we read, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ have been baptized into his death? We were buried with him by baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Chris...

There are things that God promised us as Christians that we will never care to claim, such as tribulation (John 16:33).  Under that title umbrella, we discover suffering as a promise and believe it or not a gift of God. Two reasons I will give why we suffer as believers are 1) we are children of God and 2) because we identify with Christ. In John 15:18-21 Jesus says this, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet, because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word I said to you, a servant is not greater than his Master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for my name’s sake, because they do not know him who sent me.” So, because we are children of the Most High, we automatically have a target on our backs from the...

This is very extreme language wouldn’t you agree? This is antithetical to what Jesus and the Bible commands, that we are to love one another – even our enemies. So, why in the world would Jesus demand that we must be willing to hate those most precious to us to be his disciple? On the surface this demand seems awfully discouraging, but I have learned and continue to learn that Jesus is perfect in all his ways. So even if he says something that admittedly offends my sense of ethics, there is perfect wisdom attached to his statement(s). In Luke 14:26-27 we read, “If any comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. The word hate is the Greek word miseo. Most common meaning of the word is to be malicious with unjustified feelings of evil toward someone. In relation to our text it means to pr...

                                                               Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction (Prov 1:9). What does it mean to fear God? The word fear in our culture is a negative. For instance, the word of God tells us God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7) So why is fearing God a good thing, a virtue? A healthy fear [1] of God is acknowledging that 1) He exists, that he is real.  2) We need to fear God for his majesty, there is none like him in all the universe. 3) We need to fear God for his power. He is the creator and sustainer of all things. 4) We need to fear God for his provision, that he meets our needs. 5) We need to be afraid of God when we sin for we displease him. We ne...

If you can get to know someone well you learn things about them, perhaps you learn what their favorite color is, their favorite food, what type of music they enjoy, etc. From there the relationship usually goes into the area of religion and politics. Two things people say we are not to ever discuss. Ironically, it is the two things we probably discuss the most. For this article, I want to discuss religion and worldviews. If you ask a person if they believe they deserve to go to heaven, most would say, “Yeah!” When you ask them why the general response would be, “Because I am a good person.” Many give to the poor, feed the hungry at the mission centers. Counseled those who have abused alcohol and drugs. Demonstrated through marches and protests for equal rights for all people through the doctrine of civil disobedience and the benevolent deeds go on and on. These things humanly make our souls feel clean and free wouldn’t you agree? But, is man actually good? Who determines if...

Then God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”     Genesis 1:26 There are misconceptions about what it means to be made in God’s image. Some believe it to mean we as humans are “gods”, or can become “gods”. That is a gross error. Humans can and will never be gods. Not in this life, nor in the life to come. Even in mythology gods are immortal which human beings are not; we do eventually die. So, what does it mean to be made in God’s image and likeness? How is man like God? The word image in Hebrew is tseh’-lem which means a phantom, resemblance, representative figure.      The word likeness in the Hebrew is de-mooth which means model, shape, fashion, similitude. Scripture tells us that God the Father is a Spirit (John 4:24). That is one way we are in God’s image because we are spirits as well within a physical body. Other ways we are image bearers is that we have will, emotions, we can make choic...