Walk by faith and not by the world (2 Corinthians 5:7), Walk by faith because you have been adopted by God (John 1:12), Walk by faith because He has given you a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), Walk by faith because He has made you a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17), Walk by faith because He has given you a … Continue reading →
Sunday at CrossHope Chapel we looked at Genesis 2:7 and the composite of man which the King James explains as “dust” plus “breath” equals “soul.” We later went into overtime when I couldn’t refrain from answering a question about the Lake of Fire and the loss of consciousness following the second death. Actually, I was asked what my thought was … Continue reading →
If one looks at the sequence of events regarding the 1000 years of Revelation 20 through an Historicist view, these 17 points would explain its progression: Jesus returns for His as promised in John 14:1-3 and detailed in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. The saints who have died in Christ will be resurrected. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44. This is the … Continue reading →
What does Jesus mean by destroying the soul in Matthew 10:28? Let’s start by looking at the text, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28 ESV). The Greek word used for soul is “psuche” and it is more often … Continue reading →
I do not require premarital counseling before I’ll officiate a wedding, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in it. I just believe that a couple must want biblical guidance in order to benefit from it. In fact, couples who themselves understand the value of premarital counseling and engage in some sort of “premarital counseling” reduce their risk of divorcing by 30%. I believe in premarital … Continue reading →
In my last post, Days of Creation, I addressed the contextual evidence for literal 24-hour days of Creation. In this post I want to address a theory about “Creation Time” rendering of the days of Creation in Genesis 1. I thought to add this to my article on Days of Creation, but decided it would make it too lengthy. Part … Continue reading →
Sunday as we wrapped up Genesis 1, I found myself out of time to talk more about the literal days of Creation, but below I have listed out 7 things that I believe need to be considered about the literal days of Creation. • During the 6 days of Creation, God specifically concludes “And the evening and the morning were … Continue reading →
When we look at the Creation account in Genesis 1 we find nine times that the phrase “God said” is used to describe the creation process. You will also see that after the record declares that “God said” to whatever He created a follow-up phrase states “and it was so” or “and it was good.” The encouraging thing for you … Continue reading →
I gladly officiate Vow Renewal Ceremonies across the beaches and areas of the Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida Gulf Coast. Vow renewal ceremonies are an excellent way to celebrate your marriage relationship and reinforce your commitment to your spouse. Vow renewals are best known for celebrations of a wedding anniversary, but over the years I’ve officiated vow renewals for many other reasons, too. … Continue reading →
Why does the Bible refer to the return of Jesus Christ as the blessed hope? Titus 2:13 says that believers are “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” We ought to be looking more for that appearing and less at the difficulties that often assail us. Years ago I … Continue reading →
As an introduction to the armor of God in Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul says, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11; ESV). Whether you like it or not, the devil is scheming against you – if you sided with Jesus Christ. He can not … Continue reading →
Last week Amir Tsarfati, whom you know from Jan Markell’s Prophecy Conference, got a lot of blow back on a teaching he did about recognizing the preincarnate Jesus in the Old Testament. In the video teaching, Amir mentioned Michael the Archangel as likely the preincarnate Jesus along with other examples like the Angel of the Lord references. Unfortunately, his followers … Continue reading →
I was amused by something I heard on a radio newscast today. A politician commenting negatively about the many states passing heartbeat bills, referred to it as being “a cluster of fetal pulsation.” A cluster of fetal pulsation? We should not be surprised at such silly redefining of reality in order to avoid truth, because we’ve seen it with marriage … Continue reading →
Whatever the trial, hardship, or fear of persecution as our world rushes headlong into these last days, don’t forget that our Lord has promised to be with you. The final words recorded by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew are “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20). When Moses was doubting his calling … Continue reading →
War was first known in Heaven, not because it is holy, but because sin is so unholy. Revelation 12:7 says “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels.” The chapter also gives us the account of Satan bringing war to earth against God’s people. The history of … Continue reading →
In 1923, my grandmother, Mary, was asked to be the maid-of-honor for her best friend’s wedding. As the wedding approached in her hometown near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Mary wondered what the best man might be like. She had heard that Lou was also a recent immigrant from Czechoslovakia and also an available bachelor, but he wouldn’t be arriving until just before … Continue reading →
Hyphens are used to join two words that create a compound word with a two part meaning. We could say that I am an Italian-American. I don’t say that because I feel like being American has a great enough significance and I don’t want to cheapen being an American by making it share the stage with my Italian background. I … Continue reading →
The question is, What does 2 Peter 2:6 mean by Sodom and Gomorrah being an example of what will happen to the unsaved? This can be a puzzling verse for most Christians who have a picture of the unsaved burning throughout eternity in hell when the saved are enjoying the glory of heaven. However the verse and it’s parallel passage … Continue reading →
1 Timothy 2:12 is the proof text for teaching that women ought not to be teaching or preaching if men are present. It states, “But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.” Allow me to bullet point some considerations when seeking the proper interpretation and application of this … Continue reading →
I belong to a Facebook group of some 4000 small church pastors, and recently someone asked what “What would be your advice to a new pastor?” The first thought that came to my mind was “Study, study, study.” Then as I thought it over further, a slew of things came to mind, so here they are… • Study God’s Word, … Continue reading →
If we were to meet over coffee to talk about your hopes to plant a church, I would begin by asking you if you have developed a theology of pastoral ministry. A theology of pastoral ministry isn’t much different than having a theology of God or a theology of the return of Christ or any other conviction of biblical beliefs. … Continue reading →
Here’s why I don’t think the seal of God is Sabbath keeping and why I don’t think the mark of the Beast is Sunday keeping. Let me begin with the arguments that my Adventist friends are familiar with…(I do mean friends. I still love you all and am still thankful that God lead me into a Seventh-day Adventist Church on … Continue reading →
We find the concept of the Seal of God in the book of Ephesians and in Revelation. There is a definite connection between the two books on the Seal of God. Let’s beginning by looking at Ephesians 4:30 where Paul says “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” … Continue reading →
We find the concept of the Seal of God in the book of Ephesians and in Revelation. There is a definite connection between the two books on the Seal of God. Let’s beginning by looking at Ephesians 4:30 where Paul says “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” … Continue reading →