Once upon a time there was a man named Mike McMorris, who lived on the railroad tracks. Every morning when he left for work at the Smithboro factory for reflective dog collars, Mike would worry and wonder if his little house was in trouble. Sure enough, every evening at seven o’clock, when he got home, his little house was knocked down.
Posted in WordPosts
“22And Paul stood in the middle of Areopagus, and said, Men of Athens, by all things I see you as vain worshippers.
23 For I passed, and saw your maumets , and found an altar, in which was written, To the unknown God. Therefore which thing ye unknowing worship, this thing I show to you.” (Acts 17:22-23, WYC)
Paul calls the Athenians “vain worshippers.” He points out their “maumets ” and the altar upon which is written: “To the unknown God.” Paul says God once overlooked the ignorance that allows men to worship things made by their own hands, things made of silver or stone or gold.
Posted in WordPosts
There is a statement circulating through the halls of evangelical Christianity that warns, “What you win them with, you win them to.”
The statement is meant to provoke the hearts of believers to examine our presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In short, “Are we preaching the good news found only in Jesus, or are we merely offering the world His stuff; His Heaven?”
Posted in WordPosts
Most of my life was spent under the teaching of a very unhealthy, yet popular truism: Once saved; Always saved. I use the term truism, because I believe it is true… it’s just very confusing. Maybe it would have been better stated as… If saved, Always saved.
The problem with this term is our failure to clearly define salvation. What does it mean to say that a person has been saved?
The Bible has much to say about this, but it differs greatly from a lot of the teaching we hear today.
In his letter to the church at Ephesus, Paul identified who the true believers are.
True believers are those who have been positioned in Christ. They have properly responded to the gospel with repentance, they bear good fruit, and they persevere until the end.
The gospel provision of justification (no longer guilty of sin) and regeneration (born again, a new creation, changed) are evidenced in the daily lives of those who have been redeemed by God.
True believers understand that the treasure of the gospel is not heaven… it is Jesus. They grasp the reality that they have already been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
The true believers rest in assurance because they have been sealed with the Holy Spirit, their guarantee of inheritance.
The problem with that truism mentioned above is that men have drove a wedge between justification and regeneration. They have decided that people can be saved and not be changed. The Bible knows nothing of this!
Posted in WordPosts
Tagged blog, blogging, Christianity, Ephesians, faith, justification, Paul, regeneration, religion, who are you
Solomon, known for his wisdom, came to the conclusion that funerals were more profitable to the living than the exciting moments associated with newborn babies and festive parties. What was his reasoning? Find out here at Christian Blessings.
An interesting and worthwhile read related to this topic is over at the Wordsmith’s Desk. You can find it here.
Posted in Christian Blessings
Tagged blog, blogging, Christian Blessings, Christianity, death, faith, funeral, life, people, Solomon
