October 4, 2012

"The Kingdom of God is At Hand" (10/4)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Matthew 3; Mark 1; Luke 3.

“Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’” (Mark 1:14-15).

When Jesus began preaching, He declared that the kingdom was at hand. It is important to take note of what He said. To say that the kingdom was at hand meant that it was close, or that it would be established in the near future. He would later tell His disciples that it would be established within the lifetime of some of those who were present (Mark 9:1).

Despite these plain statements, many in the denominational world believe that the kingdom is yet in our future. They believe that the kingdom will be established when the Lord returns. This concept, often called premillennialism, is false. It contradicts the plain teaching of Scripture.
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September 16, 2012

An Everlasting Kingdom (9/16)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Daniel 7-9.

When we think of prophecies in the book of Daniel regarding the Lord’s kingdom, we typically think of the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (Daniel 2:44-45). But the following passage also speaks of the coming kingdom:

“I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven one like a Son of Man was coming, and He came up to the Ancient of Days and was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away; and His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14).

There are a few points to notice from this text about the kingdom:
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August 11, 2011

Finding Reasons to Praise God in the Midst of an Economic Crisis

Our struggling economy took another hit when the United States’ credit rating was downgraded for the first time in history. This sent the stock market tumbling and made many people even more anxious about the future. Whether this is just a bump in the road or the trigger to the economic downfall of the United States remains to be seen. But even during uncertain times like these, we should be reminded of some important reasons why we ought to praise God.
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July 5, 2011

The Path to Citizenship

Oath of citizenship

The debate over illegal immigration is a hot topic in our country. For various reasons, millions of people from other countries have decided their lives would be better in the United States of America. This country has always welcomed immigrants and has established a system through which they can go in order to obtain citizenship in the United States.

Many pursue residence in this country and later citizenship through the established legal path. Many others, however, begin their pursuit by entering the country illegally. There are now millions of “illegal immigrants” currently residing within our borders, resulting in a great political debate as to what to do about these individuals. Should they be made to follow the immigration laws that have already been established? Should the government enact some sort of new law that would grant citizenship to those who, for whatever reason, chose to ignore the current law and enter this country illegally.

We likely all have our opinions as to what we believe the civil authorities ought to do on this issue, but this is not the place to discuss those opinions. I bring this up because in this debate we can draw a spiritual application regarding the greatest and most blessed citizenship. As Christians, “our citizenship is in heaven” (Philippians 3:20). Let us notice some parallels between our heavenly citizenship and the current immigration debate.
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May 4, 2011

“I Will Build My Church”

Matthew 16:18

“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it’” (Matthew 16:16-18).

One of the more significant statements in the revelation of God’s plan was Jesus’ promise to His apostles, “I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18). Let us break down this statement and see what Jesus is teaching here.
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August 9, 2010

Three Branches of Government

Three Branches of Government

The U.S. Constitution specifies three separate branches that make up our government: legislative, executive, and judicial. These branches of government are not unique to the United States. Every government will carry out these functions in one way or another.

When it comes to the rule of God, His government performs the same legislative, executive, and judicial functions. Isaiah wrote, “For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us” (Isaiah 33:22). We live under a different covenant today than the Israelites did at the time of this writing. They were part of God’s kingdom in the nation of Israel. We are part of Christ’s kingdom today in the church. But even today, when we examine the rule of Christ, we see that Jesus completely and sufficiently carries out the role of each branch of government in His kingdom.
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March 25, 2010

The Perils of a Strong National Government

Capitol Building

The President just signed health care reform legislation that will greatly expand the power of the federal government. In this article, I do not intend to praise or condemn this new set of laws and regulations. This is not a political article at all. Instead, I want to use the Bible to address the potential impact of a powerful, centralized government on our lives as Christians.

The word of God contains warnings of the dangers that are presented by a strong national government. It also contains teachings that will help us deal with this. Currently in our country, an expanding government is a reality. Let us turn to God’s word for wisdom and instruction in dealing with this present condition.
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