Without the Shedding of Blood

1 Kings 8
I have read this chapter many times... with AWE!
Solomon had finished building the temple after 7 years. And after some additional time, they were sacrificing sheep and oxen while bringing the ark up to the temple....verse 5 says...
King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude.

TRUTH

John 18:37... Jesus is brought before Pilate and interrogated to some extent, then Pilate said to Him, “Are You a king then?” Jesus answered, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the TRUTH. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” Pilate said to Him, “What is truth?” And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, “I find no fault in Him at all.

Body of Christ

The Apostle Paul is the only one who uses the term “Body of Christ” to refer to the “Church” in the New Testament, 1 Cor. 12:27; Rom. 12:5; Eph. 1:22-23; Eph. 4:15-16. Did you know that? Check it out... you won’t find it anywhere else. The word “church” in the Greek New Testament is ekklesia. It does not mean the building on Main Street. It means an assembly of called out people. Israel in the wilderness under Moses is referred to by Stephen in Acts 7:38 as “the church in the wilderness” ...a people CALLED OUT of Egypt (the world).

The Doctrine of Original Sin

The doctrine of original sin is a humbling truth revealed in scripture. It declares that every human being, apart from the Lord Jesus Christ, enters the world in a state of sin inherited from Adam, our first father. This is not merely a matter of copying Adam's example, but of sharing in his corrupted nature from the moment of our conception.

Vessels of Wrath

In case you don’t know the scope of change the radical left wants to impose on us, here is a short but fatal list:
Eliminate the Supreme Court; Trash the Electoral College; Do away with the U.S. Senate.
The list is much longer, which includes banning Christianity, but I don’t want to impose on anyone who doesn’t care, so, we won't get into that one.

The Inevitable

So many people are nervous and apprehensive about the upcoming elections and, indeed, fearful of the collapse of this nation. Perhaps we should prepare for the inevitable!? 

Feeding The Sheep, or Amusing The Goats?

 ~Archibald Brown 

“A time will come when instead of shepherds feeding the sheep, the church will have clowns entertaining the goats.” ~ C.H. Spurgeon

An evil is in the “professed” camp of the Lord, so gross in its impudence, that the most short-sighted Christian can hardly fail to notice it. During the past few years this evil has developed at an alarming rate. It has worked like leaven, until the whole lump ferments!

The Gospel

What is the Gospel?
The gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Rom. 1:16
...and I am not ashamed.

Gracious Speech

Gracious speech is a concept deeply rooted in biblical teachings, emphasizing the importance of speaking with kindness, wisdom, and love. The Bible frequently addresses the power of words and the impact they can have on both the speaker and the listener. Gracious speech is characterized by its ability to edify, encourage, and reflect the character of Christ.

Let Your Light Shine

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in heaven.” Matt. 5:16 






Many of us read that verse and zero in on “good works.” We want to see “good works” from them (the holier than thou people) but a studious breakdown of the verse reveals much more.

The Kingdom of Heaven

When Jesus began His ministry, He said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matt. 4:17

He said this to Israel, to the Jews, NOT to the world. Jesus’s ministry was TO THE JEWS, to fulfill prophecy. Everything Jesus did was to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, and the promises made TO ISRAEL, about Himself.
“For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will of Him who sent Me.” John 6:38

Spiritual – Eternal – Carnal – Temporal

Four concepts contrast the fleeting, physical nature of earthly life with the unending, divine nature of the soul. Together, they form a framework to guide believers in prioritizing lasting spiritual growth over temporary physical desires. The distinctions break down into two main pairs:

We Live Unto The Lord?

We live unto the Lord, Rom. 14:8

“If God had willed it, each of us might have entered heaven at the moment of conversion. It was not absolutely necessary for our preparation for immortality that we should tarry here. It is possible for a man to be taken to heaven, and to be found meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light, though he has but just believed in Jesus. It is true that our sanctification is a long and continued process, and we shall not be perfected till we lay aside our bodies and enter within the veil; but nevertheless, had the Lord so willed it, He might have changed us from imperfection to perfection, and have taken us to heaven at once.

Should a Christian Be a Democrat?

In a prior post, I point out that it is contrary to fundamental Christian beliefs and character to vote for a democrat. (I don't think everyone gets that… or WANTS to get it?) There is NO WAY  I can be a part of or support a group that actively promotes, advances, endorses, encourages, helps, campaigns for, supports, advocates abortion and/or homosexuality. That is not only my perspective, but that is my faith, my firmly held conviction, … that's my stand. I loathe the democrat party. To me it is an antichrist. Do I make my point?

LUKEWARM AND LOVING IT

….a government OF the people, BY the people, and FOR the people. That was the beginning of the Laodicean “church” in the USA, and although the quote belongs to Abraham Lincoln, it was nonetheless instituted by “founding fathers” who put the will of the people above the Will of God.

We elect leaders by the people’s choice. But when a culture does not know it’s right from the left they will most likely choose wrong. The dominating church in the last days (read now, TODAY) is Laodicean, which means “peoples opinions”, or “people‘s justice”. Of course, by definition then, that leaves God out. What happens when the church does not know what is true or right and insists on "its own interpretation" to take place? Well, you get what we got today! What disappoints me (besides myself) is that those who might, or in fact, KNOW the difference are having virtually no impact, that I can discern. The END will not be delayed.

The Great God Entertainment

The only power God recognizes in His Church, is the power of His Spirit. Whereas the only power actually recognized today by the majority of evangelicals, is the power of man. God does His work by the operation of the Spirit; while Christian leaders attempt to do theirs, by the power of entertainment. Bright personality has taken the place of the Spirit's influence. But only what is done through the Holy Spirit will abide eternally.

Fix Our Eyes On Jesus

Hebrews 12:2, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus!" 

“In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the Earth.” Gen. 1:1

John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”

We all know the creation account in Genesis chapters 1:1 through 3:24. Chapters that require much study. And those of us who have put in much study (relatively) need to put in much more study...unless we think we know it all (again, relatively and with all due respect).

A Christian’s Perspective on Christmas

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is GIVEN (John 3:16); and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

And Micah 5:2 says, “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.”

The Half-Converted Cowboy

The Half-Converted Cowboy
(A.W. Tozer)

Psalm 29:2, "Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness."

There is grief in my spirit when I go into the average church, for we have become a generation rapidly losing all sense of divine sacredness and reverence in our worship. God has been abridged, reduced, modified, edited, changed and amended--until He is no longer the high and lifted up God whom Isaiah saw! We've reduced the God of Abraham and Jacob, to a "stuffed God" that can be appealed to by anybody at any time. The religious clown on the radio can break into his fun and say, "Now we will have a minute of prayer." In the religious concert, the half-converted cowboy dressed like an idiot will say after he's twanged out some catchy numbers, "Now I'll do a holy number for you."

Christ the Word

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word...
We could spend, at least, the rest of the day on this very short first part of this verse.
“Word” here, Logos, is from the Greek, and in a few words means: thought (or reason), and (expressed) word. Think of it as that which is not seen (being thought or mind), and that which is manifest (as in, spoken or revealed)... God Who is Spirit manifest in Jesus in the flesh. (which we read later in verse 14, the Word was  made flesh.) It is what “incarnate” means; “made flesh, or embody with flesh.” The word incarnate is not, to my knowledge, found in scripture.