What is Your Life? Part 1   Introduction From the moment you are born to the day you die; your life is essentially yours to do as you please. You are, after all, a freewill agent. However, if you wish to please the Lord you will live your life according to His word. As Jesus states, “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21). Since God gave you your life, as a gift, it would make sense that you would want to please Him who created you in the first place. But not everyone sees it that way.   In the Garden We’re all familiar with the Garden of Eden story; creation, Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, etc. But we sometimes just skim over the story as we’ve learned it since we were children and can give a decent summary of those stories. Sometimes we need to stop and focus for a bit on that which we already know and get a better appreciation for it. For example, T...

    Introduction As we head further into December, the thoughts of the Christmas season and the figure of Santa Claus becomes prevalent in people’s life. However, parents have a tendency to increase the abilities of Santa to Godlike proportions. On the flipside, some religious people see God as a Santa Claus when they are physically blessed with material goods and health. In this article, we’ll explore both sides of the same coin.   Is Santa Claus God? While some will deny they don’t see Santa as Godlike, you should be familiar with these lyrics from a well-known song: He sees you when you’re sleeping, He knows when you’re awake, He knows if you’ve been bad or good, So be good for goodness’ sake. First and foremost, do not lie to your children that Santa Claus is real. Just because it’s a holiday tradition does not make it acceptable to lie to them. Because once the truth is found out, and they will find out, you have no idea how it might scar them m...

    Introduction Believe it or not, there seems to be a growing disrespect towards God in the religious world today. A lack of reverence when referring to God, The Father or when addressing Him. When one curses, using God’s name (or form of it), as part of that cursing, they are “taking the Lord’s name in vain.” However, there are other ways to do this and not use foul language. It is also taking the Lord’s name in vain or, simply, taking God for granted and not showing Him the respect He deserves.   Definitions Let’s start with the definition of some words so that you will have an idea of where I’m going with this thought process. These definitions are from the 1828 Webster’s Dictionary. Reverence —Fear mingled with respect and esteem. (Psalms 111:9) He hath sent redemption unto his people; He hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and reverend is his name. (ASV) Some translations use the word “awesome” but reverend is more apt. (CJM) Vain —Empty, w...

  God’s Bucket List for You, part 3   Introduction Many people have this idea that God only exists in the local church building. Or that He’s only paying attention to what you’re doing on Sundays. But, at the same time, when you get in a crisis, you call out to Him for help. Once the crisis is over, you no longer have a need for Him, until the next time. God doesn’t want you to put Him at arm’s length and it’s a good idea that you don’t. There may come a time when God isn’t on your side because you weren’t on His side.   Train Up a Child… In Proverbs 22:6, it is written, Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it. Some parents see this as a statement ‘written in stone’. They can’t fathom the possibility that their child would depart from God when they become an adult. God has given us the ability to be free-thinking agents; allows us to make our own decisions. Even with all of the teachings that are instilled i...

Introduction Throughout Jesus’ ministry he was challenged by the Pharisees to show them a sign of who he really was; so that they might believe him. But he had been showing signs to prove that he was indeed deity. But on two separate occasions he was validated by The Father himself. If that’s not proof enough, the I don’t know what is. Let’s look at two events in which God gave validation to his son. At His Baptism In Matthew chapter 3, it tells the account of Jesus and his Baptism. Most don’t understand why he was baptized if he led a sinless life. His reasoning was to fulfill all righteousness (vs. 15). It also served as an example to Christians; to follow in His steps and have our sins washed away (Mk. 16:16). The verification of Jesus comes in verse 17, And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Those around to witness His baptism most likely heard this statement and verified to them as to who he really w...

This week we look at the simple question of How do I get to Heaven? A sermon by Chris Mentzer

Introduction         Last week we asked the question, Is Prayer Pointless? And the answer is based on whether an individual believes in God or not. We also showed that action is just as necessary and that we (Christians) don’t believe that we are simply handing over our problems for God to fix for us.         This week we look at the purpose of prayer itself and look at some of the examples that are given in the scriptures. Why Do We Pray?         The main reason we pray is to talk to God. If God is, indeed, the creator of all things (Gen. 1:1) then we have a responsibility to talk to Him in regards to our life. Whether we are thanking Him for: the air we breathe, the ground we walk on, and the people we associate with; or when we voice our concerns for things that are going on in our life; whether good or bad.         We ...

Introduction         Back in November we talked about the use of social media in spreading the gospel. Today’s article has to do with a discussion that came about on social media. As I stated before, more and more people seem to become religious as the years pass. But there are those who have become more cynical or remain uninterested in religion because things don’t work out the way they want or expect them. While others become offended by the very nature of religion. Three Little Words         A friend of mine mentioned online that he wasn’t happy with the results of one of the election races and that he hoped things would still be all right. I chimed in and said, “There’s always prayer.” To which he agreed; being a fellow Christian. However, those three words sparked a debate which made us forget the election and made us defend what we believed (1 Pet. 3:15; Jude 3).     ...

Introduction         The title of today’s article sounds incredulous but there are those would follow this line of reasoning without admitting the same. In Matt. 6:24 Jesus states, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” The word ‘mammon’ is used to denote riches. What Jesus is saying here is, according to Albert Barnes:         “ ye cannot serve the true God, and at the same time be supremely engaged in obtaining the riches of this world. One must interfere with the other.” If I Win…         One of the main discussions in our society today is winning the lottery. Whether it be the standard State Lottery, Powerball, or Mega Millions; when the amount gets over 500 million everyone plays and everyone at work talks about what ...