September 14, 2008

Waiting Patiently

“The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

In the context surrounding this verse, Peter was talking about the coming day of the Lord. This judgment would not come as quickly as some thought it would, which caused them to mock the idea and believe it would never happen (2 Peter 3:3-4).

The length of time until the day of the Lord is not the result of God being slow about His promise. After all, Peter said, “With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8). God is not bound or regulated by time like we are. The wait until that day is not due to God’s slowness, but God’s patience.
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September 1, 2008

The Great Commission: Mission Accomplished

World Map

“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15).

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19).

These verses contain two different accounts of Jesus’ instruction to His apostles regarding what they were to do following His ascension. We often call this the “Great Commission.” Their responsibility was to tell the world of the gospel of Christ in order to bring followers to Him.
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September 1, 2008

The Sword of Christ

Sword

The Bible describes Jesus as the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). This is certainly true, but we must understand that His peace is not the same peace that men often desire and pursue today. The peace Jesus came to bring was reconciliation between man and God (Ephesians 2:13-18). He dealt with the issue that was the cause of the enmity – sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). The peace of Christ is not the tolerant, non-judgmental attitude that has overtaken the religious world.

In His mission to bring about peace between man and God, Jesus was rejected by the people and crucified (Isaiah 53:3; Acts 2:22-23). Therefore, it is only natural to think that His followers would be despised by the world. In fact, Jesus warned His disciples of this:
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September 1, 2008

The Divinely Given Role of Civil Government

Capitol Building

With this being a Presidential election year, there is much debate in this country about what the government ought to do. Discussions about what the next President should do regarding education, energy, the economy, and other issues are common. Christians in this country have some voice in selecting the leaders of this nation. Since we have the opportunity to participate in the process of electing leaders, our first step in making a decision must be to look to the Bible to see what role God has given civil government.
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September 1, 2008

To the Law and to the Testimony!

Holding Out the Bible

When one scans the religious landscape, particularly the segment of religious people who claim to be Christians, it does not take long to see a broad range of doctrines, beliefs, and practices. How is it that people that claim to follow Christ can believe and teach things that are not only different from each other, but completely contradictory to one another? The answer lies in how we use God’s divine standard.

The standard that God has given us is His word. It contains the truth (Psalm 119:160; John 17:17). His word is the standard that will judge us in the last day (John 12:48). Therefore, if we want to please the Lord, we must follow His word (John 14:15; Psalm 119:11).

“To the law and to the testimony!” (Isaiah 8:20). These words must be our attitude. Do the things we believe, teach, and practice harmonize with the word of God? When a question arises, our first response must be to consult God’s word.
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August 26, 2008

Killing the Unborn

Ultrasound

The book of Amos primarily contains prophecies and judgments pertaining to Israel. But the book begins by listing various sins of the surrounding cities and nations, finally ending with Israel.

The words condemning each place begin with this phrase: “For three transgressions…and for four I will not revoke its punishment” (Amos 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 13; 2:1, 4, 6). Most of the time, this phrase was followed by just one sin. The phrase is a figure of speech which meant that the sin that is mentioned, after everything else they had done, is what caused the Lord’s patience to end and His wrath to begin. Each city or nation reached this point in different ways.

Notice in particular the words regarding Ammon:
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August 14, 2008

“Hail, Rabbi!”

Judas is one of the most infamous characters in the Bible. Most people with at least a limited knowledge of the Bible know Judas as the one who betrayed Jesus.

How could Judas betray Jesus? After all, Judas was one of the twelve disciples. He had been with Jesus throughout His public ministry. Why would he betray Him?

We may have a clue given in the account of the betrayal about one of the reasons Judas could have betrayed Jesus. Notice Matthew’s account:
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