The Wrong Miracle

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(Reposted from fadingman.dtjsoft.com) And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. … – Luke 4:16ff (ESV) “I suppose some will call it a miracle. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I can’t explain it.” “Soon after Joseph and Mary’s son moved out of town, we heard things about him. You know, news of what he did in Cana, Capernaum – those places. Amazing things! Marvelous things! But funny… it sure didn’t sound like stories of our Jesus. He hadn’t done any miracles for us when he lived here. At least, none that we could verify with our own eyes. But we hoped the next time he came to town, he’d do for us what … Continue reading →

Part 2 of The Story Writer

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It took some time, (the brain wouldn’t cooperate), but the second part of the Story Writer is now available. It’s called ‘The Story‘, and its about recognizing the clues that we are in a story written by God. It’s when we see discover the clues ourselves that our confidence in God’s control grows. I have one more part to write which will cover various topics such as the purpose God has for His story, the purpose of suffering, and more. Hopefully it won’t take as long.

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Why The Resurrection?

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(From a sermon I gave at Beatty Baptist Church on April 12, 2020.) For those of you who don’t know me, I’m the curious type. Always have been. When something interests me, I try to find out as much about it as possible. When I was young, I would satisfy my curiosity by reading National Geographic magazines and encyclopedia articles. In fact, I preferred reading to socializing. I’m still somewhat like that. Social distancing is not a problem for me. When I find something worthy of my interest, I want to know as much about it as I can. Satisfying my curiosity begins with asking the right questions. And my favorite question to ask is “Why?” During this coronavirus pandemic, … Continue reading →

New page: The Story Writer

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I’m working on a powerful analogy to help explain many of the attributes of God’s nature in a way that can foster greater love for Him, trust in Him, and obedience to Him. It can also help us explain God to non-believers, young and old. I just finished the first part and it’s available for your perusal here. I have two more parts to organize and write, which may take some time as I don’t write fast. If this analogy has helped you, let me know!

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The Gift Of Faith

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He said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” – Luke 23:42 Here is a thief with great faith. This sinner admitted he deserved what he suffered. At the same time, he knew Jesus, suffering next to him, was innocent. He also recognized the Lordship of Jesus. He recognized Jesus had the compassion and authority to overlook his sins. And he knew that this death would not stop Jesus from returning in power and great glory to reward those who trust in Him. What a contrast with the disciples, whose hope died when their Lord died (Luke 24:21). They didn’t believe when told He was risen from the dead. They didn’t remember what He had told … Continue reading →

Passing On God’s Mercy

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And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God to him? … – 2 Samuel 9:3 David was a nobody, a tender of sheep, the youngest of eight children. But God raised him up to become the king of Israel. God showered grace and mercy on David throughout his life. With God’s help he defeated a lion and a bear. He gave him victory over Goliath and the Philistines. He protected him from the evil intentions of king Saul (and later his own son, Absalom). God’s presence was with David from the beginning. David was most thankful to be a recipent of God’s mercy, and he wanted … Continue reading →

On Being Saved

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I believe God at times grants the temporal requests of unbelievers, just as Jesus healed all those who came to Him. But just because God helps unbelievers does not mean they have a close, saving relationship with God. They are still spiritually dead, lost in sin, and condemned before God. They may feel they have a spiritual connection with God, but that connection is a lie. (See Matthew 7:22-23.) A true spiritual relationship with God requires two prerequisite things on our part, and two saving things on God’s part: Our part consists of: Repentance: We must repent of our sin. This is not a requirement to live a perfectly sinless life, for that is impossible. It is a heart thing: … Continue reading →

“Why did Noah curse Canaan?”

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And Noah began to be a husbandman, and planted a vineyard. And he drank of the wine, and was drunken, and he uncovered himself in his tent. And Ham the father of Canaan saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren outside. And Shem and Japheth took the upper garment and both laid it upon their shoulders, and went backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned away, that they saw not their father’s nakedness. And Noah awoke from his wine, and learned what his youngest son had done to him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; Let him be a bondman of bondmen to his brethren. – Genesis 9:20-25 On reading … Continue reading →

Who Is The Israel Of God? – Part 5

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So why all the fuss over who Israel is today? Isn’t this just quibbling over a minor doctrinal understanding? Does it really make any difference what position you take? I said at the beginning that the doctrine of supersessionism has profoundly affected much of the church’s view of the Jews, end-times prophecy, and theology. Here are some of the effects of the Church taking on itself the role of the new Israel: When the Church called itself the new Israel, it started following the patterns of Israel’s worship in the Old Testament. Israel was divided into twelve tribes, of which only one had rights to temple service, of which only a part had the priesthood, of which only one was … Continue reading →

Who Is The Israel Of God? – Part 4

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We’ve seen the evidence to know God is not done with Israel. Now let’s look at the scriptures used to promote replacement theology to see how they’ve been misinterpreted. I saw, when, for this very cause that backsliding Israel had committed adultery, I had put her away and given her a bill of divorce, … – Jeremiah 3:8 Taken by itself, this verse appears to say that God was done with the northern ten tribes of Israel. Once you’re divorced, you’ve cut all ties with your spouse. However, God did not cut all ties… “They say, ‘If a man puts away his wife, and she goes from him, and become another man’s, will he return to her again?’ Wouldn’t that … Continue reading →