Truth Inspires

First I would like to say Merry Christmas to all! Christmas is the annual celebration Christians all over the world recognize as the time when God stepped into the world of humanity to be like us. Yes, the celebration of the First Advent of Christ, Christmas, or the Nativity of Jesus is here. For believers everywhere, it is a time to recognize that God saw a forlorn world in need and knew the only way He could relate to them on their terms, and prophetically on His, was, for a season, to become like them. The question arises, was and is the world really in need? Yes, according to God it was and it is. But in Christ that need has been met. In what way are we in need? And in what way did the Lord God meet that need? This simple article will seek to answer those two questions with the hope that it will be understood by all who read. First, in order to be in need there has to be something that is needful either for this life or the one to come. Second, having established a need, th...

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, because "ALL FLESH IS AS GRASS, AND ALL THE GLORY OF MAN AS THE FLOWER OF THE GRASS. THE GRASS WITHERS, AND ITS FLOWER FALLS AWAY, BUT THE WORD OF THE LORD ENDURES FOREVER." Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you (1 Peter 1:22-25). In my life I have witnessed two things people intentionally avoid, insurance salesmen and preachers of the gospel. The insurance man is interested in the future security and comfort of the temporal physical existence of you and your family while the preacher is interested in the eternal state of the soul. All to often, if residents know who is calling at the door, the temptation is to avoid -- to just not answer. Although there are many reasons wh...

"Grace for Grace, χάριν ἀντὶ χάριτος" immediately follows Johns declaration that "Of His fullness we have all received" (John 1:16). It was Jesus who was full of grace and truth, John 1:17, and it is of His fullness we who have believed have fully received His grace. The Greek word χαριν, charin in English, has been defined in two ways according to Liddel: 1. On the part of the Doer , grace, graciousness, kindness, goodwill, τινός for or towards one [another] 2. on the part of the Receiver , the sense of favor received, thankfulness, thanks, gratitude Grace for grace. He gives fully of His grace to those who in turn show grace to others. Paul speaks of the Lord's grace bestowed to us in the following way: "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift" (Ephesians 4:7 ). And in 1 Corinthians 15:10, he speaks of the measure of grace given to him as the laboring power working to bring the gospel to the worl...

In theaters April 1st is the follow up to the blockbuster film, God's Not Dead from Pure Flix entertainment, God's Not Dead 2 . This film is sure to inform Christians everywhere about the cultural issues that face Christianity in the the 21st century. The film will highlight the need for believers to take a stand for Christ no matter what the result may be. Considering the shape that the current Western culture is in and the growing hostilities Christianity is experiencing many are predicting that by the mid twenty-first century Christianity will be a thing of the past. However, true believers know that will never happen. But one thing seems to be very true, the lack of genuine Christian influence upon our societies is helping ungodly principles and actions to flourish. The time is now to come out of our cocoons take a strong public stand for the truth that is found in Christ. Truly, one of the hardest passages for many believers to grasp concerns what Jesus meant whe...

Tough Words of Jesus: Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them. "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven . (Matthew 7:13-21 NKJV) Strong biblical advice for days ahead: The Sifted Generation, Tested, Tried, and Fo...

In John six Jesus had taught some pretty tough things that some seemed to have perceived as imperceptible and hard to understand. He spoke in spiritual language (John 6:63) of what it meant to consume His flesh and His blood (referencing the cross and his sacrifice) comparing it to the manna which fed the children of Israel in her wilderness journeys. " As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven--not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever." John 6:57-58 (NKJV) The contrast is well taken. The Manna fed Israel for decades every morning but it melted away in the heat of the day. But God in His faithfulness and, as always, true to His promise provided it for them again the next morning. Jesus said the manna they ate was not enough to keep them alive forever but he who would eat the bread of His life would live fo...

All of us who have prayed for and spoken with the unbelieving have at one time or another been told, "I don't believe in God, therefore I don't believe in the judgment of God." It's a common mantra of atheism to say such things. But is it correct? Not according the Scripture. The Bible tells us: Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them . And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was...

Everyday we are faced with a plethora of choices. What will I wear? Where will I eat? What will I do today? Should I cut grass or clean the garage? The list is endless. So many choices--So little time. Decision making can be stressful; it's one reason we put so many decisions off for another day. The high priority choices, those that have a direct affect on us, our family, our job, or our lifestyle we seek to make asap. But others not so quickly. If you're like me, you can put off a decision till the day of decision has passed and now I must face the penalty.That just happened with my driver's license renewal--three weeks late!! Ugh!! But fortunately the most important decision I have ever had to make was done over 30 years ago when I made the decision to commit my life into the hands of God. Jesus is my Savior and Lord, the ever present guide for my life. It's what I call the "God Choice." Why do so many put the "God Choice" off so long? In ...

All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. (9)  "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. (10)  And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. (11)  And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. (12)  And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. (13)  But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (14)  And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. -Matthew 24:8-14 In this snippet of what is commonly referred to as the Olivet Discourse, Jesus outlines what He knew was going to be true for those who would follow in His footsteps, embracing Him as the one and only way to deliverance from sin and the inheritance of eternal bliss. God-fearing Christians know His words to have a final fulfillment that occ...

Many have asked, "why are some believers really excited about Jesus and others, not so much?" This ia a good question and one I am inclined to answer the following way. Some have been forgiven much and so they love much, Luke 7:47. The impact is heartfelt and the heavy burden of sin rolls off their backs like water off of a duck. For this they are eternally grateful and often desire to serve immediately. Like Zacchaeus (Luke 19:8), who promised to give one half his money to the poor and four times in taxes back to all he stole from, they with haste want to show their gratitude to God and man. But the deeper answer may be found in the amount of worth we place on being forgiven of sin as opposed to the value of continuing in it. Maybe some do not see the worth in being forgiven nor the power in sin to separate. Maybe too, they see eternity as something that they themselves have an eternity to wait before they need to reckon with it, so eternal things, like obeying God and se...