Responding To The Call

Ephesians 6:10-13 "10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."                 Ever since Christ's ascension, those who profess to have a relationship with Christ have had the responsibility to "go and make disciples".  The first "witnesses" of the true Christ, those apostles who were called together by Christ were transformed from being just "civilians" of this world to being "ambassadors" of the kingdom of heaven. The Bible teaches that we are not to be of this world but in it, Romans 12:2.  We are each responsible to clearly understand our roles as disciples, Mathew 28:16-20. You and...

          1 Peter 2:15-16 "For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. 16 Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God".             The laws of our land may change justifying the sinful ways of man. What once was considered wrong is now right and what was once considered right is now wrong. 1 Peter 3:17 "For it is better, for if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong".  Read Proverbs 14:32, 2 Corinthians 13:7, Revelation 22:11.             As a Christian or a pursuer of the faith, you should, for your own sake seek and keep to the promises of God. Do not conform to the world, but rather transform it. But how can you do this if you do not know Him or His word?  ...

Philippians 2:3-4 "Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; 4 do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others."             In the passage above, Paul is writing to the people of Philippi teaching them how to live out their new faith....live like Christ.  We see in the preceding verses, Paul is suggesting that if there is any evidence of your salvation (surrender and submission to God(Father, Son, Spirit), than here is what you do to put your faith to practice... LOVE .  Not love the way man has defined it, but, love in the way God has defined it and how Christ exemplified it.             God loves you. Interesting that so many may obtain a glimpse of that understanding, but because of man's poor representation, fall short of "comp...

Proverbs 3:12 " For whom the Lord loves He reproves. Even as a father corrects the son in whom He delights".             You and I live in a time when we are bombarded with cleaver advertising slogans like "Just Do It", "Have It Your Way", "Pleasure is the path to Joy", and so on.  Why do advertisers appeal to your ego?  To lure your mind to accept that you have a right to do as you want.  This idea actually reciprocates the concept of what they are suggesting they are doing.  Adds in essence tell you what to buy, when to buy it, why to buy it, and how much to spend.  Some even go as far to suggest that you are not valuable enough until you purchase their product.  Do you see any suggestion of a desire to care for your "rights"?             Until now, I did not believe that secular advertising companies believed in the Bible or that God ex...

Acts 28:26-27 " Go to this people and say, "You will keep on hearing, but will not understand; You will keep on seeing but will not perceive; 27 For the heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes; Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and return, and I will heal them."             Paul was speaking to the nation of Israel while they were attempting to persecute him.  Paul identified that the people were not open to the truth that would set them free from their bondage of the sin they were imprisoned by. Paul was trying to "wake them up" to see, hear, and believe that the messiah they seek is alive.  The people of Israel were transformed by the world as opposed to transforming it, much like many in the body of Christ, the Christian church in America is today (Romans 12:2).   ...