The Flesh vs. The Spirit Many, if not most, believers struggle to live the Christian life. Salvation was easy – just believe in Jesus and you’re saved. But living the life for some reason is hard. In Romans, Paul wrote about our freedom from the penalty of sin, and instructed us not to let sin reign in us (“Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.” Romans 6:12). But after that he spoke of His own incapacity to live a righteous life: For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will …Continue reading →
The Bible says you were created for God, for the purpose of glorifying Him: For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. – Colossians 1:16 “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” – Revelation 4:11 Man was created in God’s image which gave man a unique capacity to glorify God. However, when Adam sinned, humanity’s ability to glorify God was marred. God’s purpose in saving you was that you might fulfill your original …Continue reading →
What is worship? What do you think of when you hear the word worship? Meeting together at church? Singing hymns or praise songs? While the church meeting is called a worship service, true worship is not primarily a corporate act, but an individual lifestyle and mindset. Yes, we all meet together to worship, but this is primarily to edify the body, to build up the church, which is only one way to worship God. The hebrew word for worship, “shachah”, means to bow down, to prostrate oneself, to reverence, to do homage. The greek word, “proskuneo”, means to kiss the hand in token of reverence, as someone would do when bowing before a ruler. “Proskeneo” also means to kneel or …Continue reading →
I’m sure there have been times when you have come across a situation where you must make a decision, and you’ve wondered which way God would have you choose. Sometimes these are major decisions: Should I take this job? Should I marry this person? It would be nice if God would give an audible answer every time you asked for His direction, but God does not work that way. Much of God’s will remains hidden even when you ask. How can you know what God’s will is for you in various situations? The truth is, sometimes you can’t, and in those situations you have to trust to God’s ability to guide you without your knowledge (Proverbs 16:9). But many times …Continue reading →
How does the Bible describe the church? Mention the word “church” today and the first thing that pops into most people’s minds is a building with a steeple and stained-glass windows. Church is a place to sit in uncomfortable pews for a couple of hours once a week, sing traditional songs and hear a preacher speak for a half hour or forty-five minutes against the evils of sin. Or, another view of church is a non-profit charity organization that helps those in need. But neither of these concepts describes the early church depicted in the New Testament. Yes, the early church helped the needy. Yes, there was preaching (although probably not in the style we are familiar with today). Maybe …Continue reading →
Witnessing Just before Jesus ascended to heaven after His resurrection, He told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit. They would be witnesses to Him beginning there and going out into the whole world. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” – Acts 1:8 These disciples were called “apostles”, ones Jesus sent out into the world with the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. It was these men who were used to build the church. Their job was not to save the lost, but to point the lost …Continue reading →
The secret to spiritual growth is in your focus. C. S. Lewis, in his book Surprised By Joy, told of his search for joy. Every once in a while joy came to him. Sometimes it would come when he listened to a particular piece of music. But joy never came when he intentionally looked for it or tried to bring it about deliberately. The joy always came from outside of himself. The same holds true in your spiritual growth. You cannot grow spiritually through self-effort. Maybe you can live a cleaner, more moral life for a time, but spiritual growth is not about that. It is about becoming one with Christ (John 17:20-23), reflecting Him and building your relationship with …Continue reading →
What is a disciple? Think of a disciple. Any disciple. Ok, who did you think of? Peter? James? John? or one of Jesus’ other close followers? How about Paul or Barnabas? Or maybe you thought of your pastor, a missionary, or a really dedicated Christian friend? How about yourself? Did you put yourself in that same category? Today, it’s a common misconception to think of the call to discipleship as something above and beyond the call of the typical believer. But the call to discipleship really applies to all believers, not just a few. In fact, the word “Christian” really means “disciple”. In the earliest days of the church, every believer was known as a disciple. The word “Christian” wasn’t …Continue reading →
The first topic in this discipleship class is Bible study because the Bible serves as the foundation of our understanding on which to build a strong relationship with God. Everything we know about God, who He is and His will for us, is found in the Bible. What is the Bible good for? Immature believers are like babies or young children – they tend to be dependent on those who led them to Christ. With new believers, for a time it seems this must be, but no believer should stay this way. Just as children must be trained to become mature adults, independent of their parents, so it is with young believers. All of us must transfer our reliance for …Continue reading →
While Bible study’s purpose is to learn more about God, quiet time is more focused on spending time alone with God, developing your relationship with Him, letting Him speak to you, and strengthening you for the day. Quiet time is also sometimes called ‘devotions’ or ‘meditation’. Don’t confuse this with the New Age concept of meditation. It is not emptying your mind, but filling it, using it. The word ‘meditation’ means in-depth thinking or contemplating. It often astonishes me that I did not see the importance of meditation upon Scripture earlier in my Christian life. As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time unless he eats, so it is with the inner man. What …Continue reading →
