The Gospel Of Repentance

  We often hear people saying they have turned their life around – they deserve a second chance. I am a firm believer in what I call “natural redemption” - meaning if someone who has done wrong is  contrite  and turns their life around, they deserve a new lease on life. In other words, we as human beings need to forgive one another. It is important for the reader to understand that just because you forgive someone does not mean you begin to automatically trust that person again. Trust is very fragile. It takes years to develop, but it only takes one mistake for your trust in someone or someone’s trust in you to disappear. So, forgiveness and trust are not the same. Forgiveness means you no longer hold the offender responsible for the sins they have committed against you. You let the offender go free. They have been absolved of all guilt – a wonderful thing. Trust is in investment you have placed in someone. It is like money in the bank. If your bank helps you grow your in...

There are many who are very educated in theology but do not believe the Bible is literally the word of God. They have doctorate degrees in theology and can quote the scriptures word for word. They know all the tenses, moods, participles, verbs – all the elaborate parts of speech the Bible contains. Yet they refuse to submit to its commands. Why? Because the words of God are spiritual life, and the natural man is spiritually dead. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says,  “The natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit. They are foolishness to him. Neither can he understand them for they are spiritually  discerned. ”   So, you see, no matter how much education one has regarding Biblical truth, unless God places his Holy Spirit inside the corpse (I.e., the spiritually dead), they will never believe. I’m not saying non-believers cannot understand the natural revelation in the Bible such as how to treat your fellow man or how to care for one’s family.  But the natural man...

Jesus chose twelve men to be His followers. There were His disciples. A disciple is one that is a learner, a student. They were also called Apostles which means sent ones, special messengers. Jesus chose these men so that He could teach them what He knew and to continue His work when He was raised from the dead and ascended back to the Father. Below is a chart of the 12 men and the order they appear in each book: Matthew 10:2–4   Mark 3:16–19   Luke 6:14–16   Acts 1:13   Peter Andrew James John   Peter James John Andrew   Peter Andrew James John   Peter James John Andrew   Philip Bartholomew Thomas Matthew   Philip Bartholomew Matthew Thomas   Philip Bartholomew Matthew Thomas   Philip Thomas Bartholomew Matthew ...