10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. 1 Corinthians 15:10 (NASB) 

There are two extremes that Christians must avoid at all costs. The first is over confidence in one’s own ability, which is pride in its positive form. This causes believers to rely on their own abilities to do “good works.” The other extreme is to become paralyzed into inactivity because of pride working in its negative form. It tries to resemble humility by proclaiming things such as, “I’m not sanctified enough to do that sort of work.” Both are attitudes of pride and are in rebellion against God. Continue reading →

The United States is in bondage to prosperity and entertainment. Television has caused most Americans to lose the ability to reason. It is as if all those hours of sitting in front of that mind control device has turned their minds to mush. However, that is no excuse for Christians to not know their God and His ways. The form of Christianity that is most prevalent in the United States at this time is a very poor facsimile of the real deal. It is as if it is geared to the lowest common denominator. The focus in our churches is backward. If you go to your typical “Mega-Church” you will find very quickly that it’s focus is on the people there…. Continue reading →

37 They said to Him, “Grant that we may sit, one on Your right and one on Your left, in Your glory.” 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” 39 They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized. 40 But to sit on My right or on My left, this is not Mine to give; but it is for those for whom it has been prepared.” Mark 10:37-40 (NASB) 

The truth, Biblical truth that is, cuts like a sword or the sharpest dagger ever seen. God’s ways are not Man’s ways or the ways of the world. No, God’s ways are antithetical to the ways of fallen Men…. Continue reading →

11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Romans 5:11 (NASB) 

The very heart of Christianity is the doctrine of the Atonement. Is it no wonder that so many proclaiming a “new type of Christianity” also attempt to do away with this doctrine? Any attempts to redefine Christianity by modifying or eliminating this doctrine are marks of heresy. I have seen professing Christians argue and write off former brothers in the faith over aspects of our faith that are nowhere near as vital to orthodoxy as the doctrine of the Atonement…. Continue reading →

14 And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. and we gazed upon his glory, glory as of the only one from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (translated from the NA28 Greek text) 

Some may question why we are going over these fundamental truths again. My brethren, it is our presuppositions which are the fruits coming from roots embedded in the foundation of what we really believe. If our presuppositions are based upon incorrect theology then it means the foundation in which they are rooted is rotten…. Continue reading →

9 I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours; 10 and all things that are Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 I am no longer in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, that they may be one even as We are. 12 While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled. John 17:9-12 (NASB) 

In this post we will look at the sovereignty of God through the exposition of John 10:22-42. There is much here. In this passage, we not only have our Saviour’s claim of deity and equality with God, but that He also assumed His complete sovereignty over all things…. Continue reading →

1 And I, brothers, was not able to speak to you as to spiritual men  but as to carnal men, as to infants in Christ. 2 I gave you milk to drink, not solid food, for you were not yet able to receive it. 3 But, you are still not able, for you are still fleshly. For while there is jealousy and strife in you, are you not of the flesh and according to the ways of man? When one says “I indeed am of Paul,” and another, “but I am of Apollos,” are you not being mere men?  Corinthians 3:1-4 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

God has always given some in the Body of Christ discernment as they have matured, become humble, and become adhered only to the Word of God as the arbiter of what is truth from what pretends to be the truth, but is of the Devil and this World…. Continue reading →

12 Therefore, everything that you wish that men would do for you, thus also you do for them for this is the Law and the Prophets. 13 Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way leading to destruction and those who enter by it are many. 14 How narrow is the gate and constricted the road leading to life and few are the ones finding it. Matthew 7:12-14 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

Our Lord Jesus Christ set before us the way of Righteousness. Yes, He lived a perfect life and died on a cruel cross to pay the penalty and price for the sins of those whom He came to save. Yet, He also taught us both in word and deed how the truly Righteous should live…. Continue reading →

1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. 2 Timothy 3:1-7 (NASB)  Read verses 6-7 on the site.

Ten or fifteen years ago those of us in discernment ministries were in intense battles against the Satanic forces of “emergence Christianity” and its vanilla cousin the Purpose Driven/Seeker-Sensitive paradigm. I don’t miss those ugly times at all, but now our enemy has a new weapon with new followers who are attacking God’s truth and His Body of believers from inside the visible church with new Satanic weapons…. Continue reading →

1 If, therefore, you were raised with Christ, seek the things above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Colossians 3:1 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

One of the most unpopular Christian teachings is summed up in Colossians 3:1 and Romans 6:1-4. I have been in discussion with some professing Christians who detest any teaching calling for repentance and walking before the face of God in the power of the Holy Spirit, denying self, taking up one’s cross and following Christ…. Continue reading →

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:3-6 (NASB) 

I was given a great deal of work to do today. In fact, it is almost 7pm here in Oklahoma as I write this and I just finished wrapping up a very long day at work. I am tired of sitting in this chair I assure you. So, I pray this post will be sufficient my brothers and sisters…. Continue reading →

1 Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. Colossians 3:16 (NASB) 2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

In our last post, The Believer’s Supreme Act of Spiritual Worship – Part 3, we looked at Romans 12:2a, which says, “And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind“…. Continue reading →

1 Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. Colossians 3:16 (NASB) 2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

In our last post, The Believer’s Supreme Act of Spiritual Worship – Part 2, we looked at Romans 12:1b, which says, “to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service.” Continue reading →

1 Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

In yesterday’s post, The Believer’s Supreme Act of Spiritual Worship – Part 1, we looked at Romans 12:1a, which says, “Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God.” Today we will look at Romans 12:1b which says, “to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service.“… Continue reading →

1 Therefore, I urge you brothers through the compassions of God to present your bodies as living, holy sacrifices, well pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service. 2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may discern the will of God, that which is good and well pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:1-2 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

Our supreme calling is to serve God with all our being first and foremost in worship. The writer of Hebrews tells us through Christ we are to “continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Hebrews 13:15)…. Continue reading →

1 Therefore I, the prisoner in the Lord, encourage you to walk worthy of the calling by which you were called, 2 with all humility of mind and meekness with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, 3 being eager to keep the oneness of the spirit in the uniting bond of peace. 4 As there is one body and one Spirit, as also you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, the one over all and through all and in all. 7 But to each one of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Wherefore it says, “Having ascending to the height he led captive captivity, He gave gifts to men.” Ephesians 4:1-8 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

It wasn’t until I started studying and learning Koine Greek that I ran into the puzzling verse above (Ephesians 4:8). After all, the English translations I have always used did not read like I translated that verse above. No, the NASB translates v8 as: Continue reading →

13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Timothy 4:13 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

One of those things all Christians, and especially Christian leaders, should be about is obeying Paul’s command in 1 Timothy 4:13. Let us look within that command at what Paul means by “exhortation.” As is the case with so many other words, our English word, “exhortation” does not quite carry the same depth of meaning as does its Koine Greek equivalent…. Continue reading →

7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? Hebrews 12:7-11 (NASB) Read verses 10-11 on this site.

As we have been discussing lately, only a fragment of the visible Church is holy. Only a Remnant is truly saved. There is actually a great gulf fixed between this Remnant and professing Christians who are in apostasy…. Continue reading →

27 And he said, “I ask you then, father, that you may send him to the house of my father. 28 For I have five brothers that he may warn them lest they also may come to this place of torment.” 29 But Abraham said, “They have Moses and the Prophets let them listen to them.” 30 But he said, “No, Father Abraham. But if someone from the dead should go to them they will repent.” 31 But he said to them, “If if they did not listen to Moses and the Prophets neither will they they be persuaded if someone should rise again from the dead.” Luke 16:27-31 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

Probably most of us tend to think that to hear something simply means that sound registers in our ears and brain, but even Webster says that it goes further than that: “to perceive or apprehend with the ear; to gain knowledge by hearing; to listen with attention.” Every parent has experienced times when their child says he or she hears what the parent is saying but does not really listen with attention. Continue reading →

8 The Holy Spirit is making this clear, that the way into the holy place has not yet been revealed while the first tabernacle is still standing, 9 which is a parable for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshipper perfect in conscience, Hebrews 9:8-9 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

The literal idea of the Greek παραβολή (parabolē) is a placing side by side and, therefore, a comparison or similarity…. Continue reading →

13 For this reason I am speaking o them in parables for while seeing they do not see and while hearing they do not hear nor do they understand, 14 and the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled in them, which says, ‘In hearing you will hear and by no means understand, and while seeing you will see and my no means perceive. 15 for the heart of this people has been made dull, with their ears they hear with difficulty, and their eyes are closed, lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart and return, and I would heal them.’ Matthew 13:13-15 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

In the heartbreaking passage above the word “understand” translates the Greek verb συνίουσιν (syniousin) it the third person plural present tense, active mood, and indicative voice of συνίημι (syniēmi), which means “understand.”…. Continue reading →

22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:22 (translated from the NA28 Greek text)

Let us continue our thoughts on Hebrews 10:22 (above). Drawing near to God first means having a sincere desire for truth.

Second, drawing near to God means having absolute confidence in God. The words, “full assurance” translate πληροφορίᾳ (plērophoria), which means “entire confidence, full assurance.”…. Continue reading →

19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22 (NASB) 

In v22 (above) the phrase “let us draw near” translates the Greek first plural verb προσερχώμεθα (proserchōmetha) the present tense, middle voice, subjunctive mood case of προσέρχομαι (proserchomai) which means “come to, go to, approach.”…. Continue reading →