Truth Inspires

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...

Several years ago, during an otherwise, uneventful night at work, I overheard a coworker state that He was a Christian. This individual held two jobs. One was a printing press operator, right next to me, and another was a backstreet nightclub owner. His passion in life was the night club activities, including sex and wife-swapping, of which he made no bones about his involvement. So I was taken aback when I heard him loudly exclaim, probably for my benefit, that he was an active Christian. I took the bait. It didn't take too long for me to walk over and inquire which church he attended. At that he blew up like a stick of dynamite! In mere moments, the wagons were circled and I was in the center. The shift had heard his loud screaming and atrocious profanity and thought surely someone had a limb stuck in the printing press. Why else would such a loud fuss be made? But that was not quite what they found. Instead they found a middle aged man throwing a temper tantrum and pointing t...

In a few months, Lord willing, I will be releasing a new book tentatively entitled, Hated, Living the Gospel in a World that Hates You! I am very excited about it. As society has become more and more hardened against the Lord those who are His lights shining in the world will suffer more and more of the brunt of the attacks of darkness. In the book, I hope to share some of my most painful experiences and joys and how the Lord brought me through them in the most mighty of ways. So for the next several posts, I will be giving glimpses of the content in order to help believers to understand the importance of standing firm in these last days before the Blessed Hope and Glorious Appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Having been a pastor for over thirty years and having experienced a share of the vitriol that is spewed forth from the mouths of the non-believing crowds I feel I can write on the subject with a veracity that parallels the descriptive Biblical foretelling of the persecution th...

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...

Crosses, gallows, guns, nooses, and chemical injections all have one thing in common, they are instruments used to torture and execute. "In antiquity crucifixion was considered one of the most brutal and shameful modes of death. Probably originating with the Assyrians and Babylonians, it was used systematically by the Persians in the 6th century BC. Alexander the Great brought it from there to the eastern Mediterranean countries in the 4th century BC, and the Phoenicians introduced it to Rome in the 3rd century BC. It was virtually never used in pre-Hellenic Greece. The Romans perfected crucifixon for 500 years until it was abolished by Constantine I in the 4th century AD. Crucifixion in Roman times was applied mostly to slaves, disgraced soldiers, Christians and foreigners—only very rarely to Roman citizens. [Death ranged from 6 hours to 4 days.]... The attending Roman guards could only leave the site after the victim had died , and were known to precipitate death ...

  The photo pictures brothers and sisters in Lebanon praying for the Christians in Lebanon and their nation. One of the websites I like to read is the www.RaptureForums.com. A lot of believers from around the globe share stories and comments on various topics concerning the Lord and His soon return. But that is not all, it is also a place to pray for one another. Just recently a Lebanese Christian brother, who who goes by the name Elias Kh, wrote the following plea, asking Christians everywhere to lift the Lebanese brothers and sisters in Christ up in prayer. If you're not from that part of the world you may not be familiar with the culture or having to live a life in fear. The following letter pasted in its entirety and without corrections, will give you some insight into what it is like to live in fear: Letter From Lebanon   Brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ. The situation in Lebanon today is "extreme caution" among the Christian community here. Beli...

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1 (ESV) It is a s simple as that, huh? God's 911 directs us to dwell and take shelter in the Lord. Jesus said, " If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you," John 15:7 (NKJV Our help is found in Him alone. May the below ABC's of life give you strength in His promises! To Abide in Christ is to simply take His Word at face value, John 14:24 To Believe upon Him for eternal life, John 3:16-17 To Cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you, 1 Peter 5:7 To Draw from His well of love for peace, John 14:27 To Erase your sin seek Christ, Matt. 26:28 To Find Hope in Christ, Rom. 15:13 To Gain eternal life, John 3:3 To Have continual joy, John 15:11 To Indeed find strength, 1 Tim. 1:12 To Jesus we must direct our trust, Matt. 12:21 To Keep and receive eternal life in heaven, we must ...

Mark 11:8-10 (NKJV) 8  And many spread their clothes on the road, and others cut down leafy branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9  Then those who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' 10  Blessed is the kingdom of our father David That comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" John 12:12-13 (NKJV) 12  The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13  took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: "Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD !' The King of Israel!" The Word Hosanna, ὡσαννά, Save now; or save, we pray; is an emphatic exclamation of praise to God. In the week prior to His resurrection Jesus rode on a colt, the foal of a donkey into Jerusalem where the people of the city had spread leafy branches and pal...