The vice of society and downfall of religious freedom is not and will not be by the utter hatred that is spewed forth from embittered atheists, the flaunting of immorality from sodomite activists, the vile belligerence of the ACLU, nor from the degrading propaganda of Hollywood and the media. No, it will come by the confusion of Truth, the compromise of Holiness, and the corrosion of Unity within the framework of Christianity. If it all could be funneled into a particular, it is the problem of pride within each heart. It is masked in the form of one who boasts over a denomination, almost to the point of worshipping its existence and deifying its function. It is also found in one who feels smugly content to be placed in the camp of Tolerance, fearing holy confrontation in which could vilify his lack of faith and cowardice spirit. Thus, he will never be caught lifting a bro...
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(Please know that I will continue my posts on prayer later on. I still have about 2 more studies to publish on this blog.) It takes hardly any mental effort to realize that we live in a country filled with conveniences. We have microwaves, dishwashers, credit cards, keyless entry, power windows, bluetooth, facebook, and the list goes on. I have often heard seniors say, “I don't see how we made it without all these things!” Modern advancements can be a great help to society, but when it comes to the inner being of an individual, no technological achievement or material convenience will ever suffice to restore or strengthen the soul. The great gap of the soul can only be filled up with the one who “ filleth all in all”, Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:23b). Yet, t he road of true Christian living is not some large, smoothly paved interstate lined up with fun filled attractions. No. It is a narrow dirt path lined with high mountains and deep rivers. By no means do I use this imagery t...
This is the fourth lesson from my Sunday night messages in which I have simply sought to zero in on the teachings of Christ on prayer. D.M. M’Intyre: “ The equipment for the inner life of prayer…a quiet place, a quiet hour, a quiet heart.” “… every gracious work which has been accomplished within the Kingdom of God has been begun, fostered, and consummated by prayer.” The title is taken from Matthew 6:9 In this lesson, we will be looking verse by verse from 9-13. *Just before these verses, Christ spoke on the Motive in prayer, but now He is dealing with the Manner of prayer. *Jesus is not commanding Memorization and Exactness in Prayer, instead He is revealing the Main Essentials of Prayer. *If you just focus on the Precise Words, it becomes a Dead end to Prayer, but if you focus on the Wonder of Christ and the Will of God it is a Pathway for Power. Matthew 6 9 After this manner therefore pray y...
I will continue to post the rest of the studies on prayer later in the weeks to come, but with Thanksgiving this Thursday I am posting my article for our church bulletin regarding thankfulness. Indeed, we are not "taking a break" from the lessons on prayer, for ultimately thankfulness is essential to prayer (Phillippians 4:6). God bless. During November, the topic of thankfulness is preached many times. The word is tossed around in daily conversations by some Christians who seek to remind themselves that they’re supposed to “buck up” and put on a smile to show a bit more gratitude for their faith. Others do not have any sort of belief regarding a sovereign authority, yet they still feel slightly compelled to muster up some appreciation for life and prepare for the coming holiday. I have often wondered why one who does not believe in God would even observe such a day, seeing that it is puzzling as to whom they are to be “giving thanks” to. You s...
This is the third study on prayer. God bless you and may His grace shine upon you and give you peace. Matthew 6:7-8 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. LUKE 11:5-8 A nd he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; 6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? 7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. 8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable un...
This is the second lesson of the series of messages on prayer. Again, the main theme is “Lord, teach us to pray…” which is taken from Luke chapter 11 and verse 1. THE SECRET LIFE OF PRAYER Richard Baxter “ Prayer is the breath of the new creature.” Matthew 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. 2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they m...
It has certainly been a while since my last post, but the past couple months have been a blur. A little over 2 weeks ago my my family and I traveled to North Carolina to see family and then to South Carolina for Bethany Free Will Baptist's Homecoming. The speaker for this year was a little dry, but the food and fellowship was definitely one of the highlights of the trip (In case you haven't figured out, I was the speaker). There is much I would like to post, and perhaps soon enough, I will. For now, I am going to impart some key information from a message series I have been preaching on Sunday evenings. No, it is not a David Jeremiah series or some type of Bible based curriculum. It is simply from personal study. Now, I realize that in almost every case there is truly no such thing as “original ideas.” Someone may have a dif...