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Angel of Light
In the process of warning the saints in Corinth, Paul speaks about false teachers and deceitful “workers” which either changed the original Gospel message found in Acts 2:38 or used it as a tool to gain personal influence. These false teachers presented themselves as “good people” with pleasant dispositions. Paul likened these false believers to Satan. Within the letter, Paul describes the appearance of the devil in this fashion: 2 Cor 11:14 “…for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” Satan is not coming in dark robes or horns. He will not appear as a demon filtered through Hollywood’s…
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Remember
There is an open field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania which hosts a story of heroism. I’ve walked the field to discover a large rock which marks this nondescript place. Beneath the boulder was a massive hole where United Airlines Flight 93 found its resting place. If you stand at the rock and look back, you’ll discover the path of its final flight. The memorial is just beyond on a hill where a concrete building hosts the sounds and pictures of the moment. Somerset is off the beaten path. It is not a destination anyone would stumble upon. Unlike the 9/11…
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If God Be For Us
Rom 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? Rom 8:32 He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Rom 8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. The final moments of this dispensation will usher in an era filled with the reality of heavenly, spiritual wars. The Book of Revelation describes both the past and future judgment of Satan. John called…
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He Knew Me
This writing may be a bit truthful for the average Christian. I want to warn you upfront just in case you decide to keep an anti-God opinion. Both Pew Research and Guttmacher Institute provide the consequences of abortion in the United States. Since 1973, the legal practices of abortion have killed 63,495,781 babies. Most of the abortions today are for women who have either had one abortion or have already given birth. There are about 3,000 facilities which provide what is pleasantly called, “Reproductive Right Procedures.” The renaming of the murder of over 63 million unborn children seems to lessen…
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That Nothing Be Lost
In a single line, Jesus revealed His nature toward us. It happened at the end of the feeding of the 5,000. After a long day of teaching, the disciples came to Jesus with the need for food. They would have sent the multitude home, but the Lord intervened. Andrew found a little boy’s lunch. John 6:9 There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many? Jesus called the people to order, gave thanks, and then multiplied the small lunch with more than enough. It was an explosion of…
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Gather Them
In 732 B.C., Tiglath-Pileser annexed the northern part of Israel which included Damascus. Solomon, 931B.C., was the last king to lead a united nation, but afterwards the kingdom split. Jerusalem became the capital of Judah to the south and Damascus the capital of Israel to the north. Paul was baptized in Damascus and threatened there. Many received his preaching, though the account does not reveal a revival like that of Antioch. Paul had to escape the city as the governor under Aretas the king surrounded it with military men – 2 Cor. 11:32. Many other things happened there in regards…
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Believe For It
Psa 78:18 And they tempted God in their heart by asking meat for their lust. Psa 78:19 Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Psa 78:20 Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people? In review, the psalmist revealed the limitation of faith among the Children of Israel. They saw Moses strike the rock, from which water gushed and quenched their thirst. Manna was their daily meal and wonders abounded in diverse places. They…
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Take Someone With You
Many years ago, a hypothetical question was presented in hopes to provoke a conversation among various age groups. It went something like this: “If your house was on fire, what is the one thing you would take with you?” Those who were young replied with items like video game consoles or cell phones. Young adults spoke of family heirlooms or hand-drawn paintings or letters. The eldest among the group said, “If the house is on fire, look for the family or anyone who might be in the house.” This proverbial question has been presented at countless tables and classrooms throughout…
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Words
From the inception of human history, God has put boundaries around mankind and limitations before them. The garden of Eden was enclosed from the harsh elements beyond its border. The only restriction for Adam and Eve was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Both the boundary and the tree offered the image of constraint for the coming human existence. However, people reject such limitations. It is against our nature to deny ourselves of things we desire. Debt is mostly the result of a lack of self-denial. Paul introduces the “weapons of our warfare” which are spiritual (2…
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Wavering
James 1:6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. “Wavereth” is not a common English word. I have not heard it used in any conversation, whether casual or formal. Some Bible translators consider it synonymous with doubt, but that is far too narrow. Besides, James writes with a personal story which reaches deep into heart of the matter. He is writing about an unsettled spirit that is void of a strong foundation. Jerusalem was the birthplace of the New Testament church. The…