Great pressure is now being applied to the Evangelical and Reformed world to socialize the gospel. Groups, writers, seminaries, mission organizations, denominations, churches, and pastors are being marshaled to correct the injustices and ills of Western societies. This is all being done in the name of “applying the gospel.”
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We’ve all heard the saying, “Most people who quit and walked away from a goal would be shocked if they knew how close they were to success.” Ecclesiastes, no doubt, instructs that ‘there is a time to persevere and a time to cease laboring at a thing.’
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The Patriarch Jacob was like many who grew up in the church. He knew about God. He'd watched his parents worship and build their lives around the biblical faith. He wasn't opposed to it. He kind of believed it too. But in reality, Jacob had not really come to God himself. If the truth were told, he was simply coasting off his father's faith.
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They did not die in vain. Let’s not live in vain. The sincerest thank you that a citizen can offer those who died for their liberty, is to live out said liberty before God and man. They prayed to God and gave everything so that we can do the same. Americans, shake free from the prevailing lies about what it means to be free. Many enjoy this Constitutional liberty but do not value it; talk about it but do not understand it; want it but do nothing to preserve it. This Memorial Day give some time to reflect on the price that has been paid. As you meditate, do not passively mourn; they didn’t. Renew your vigor and valor for the cause of God and the Constitution which preserves our freedom to serve Him and one another in this fair land we call home.
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Tithing is the first step of Grace Giving. It was the first method used by God to teach His people stewardship. It was the first method God used to finance His Kingdom work among men. It was and is the elemental principle of giving. If the principle of tithing is not settled in your heart and life you will never move beyond it. Talk of Grace Giving can fill the airwaves but unless God’s people solidify their belief in tithing they will never move beyond its essential concepts. For the sake of space, I am not quoting the Scripture passages. Please reference each one in your copy of God’s Word.
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Identity. What a loaded topic this has become in the last decade. With all the attention given to “understand” our identity, one would expect that we, as a culture, had learned something. But the sad reality is that we haven’t. How do I know that we have not learned from the exorbitant attention given to identity by our media, the music industry, government agencies, advertisement, and the public school system, and pop-culture? It is evidenced by not only the gender confusion being produced, but also by more subtle observations such as how people have become nearly obsessed with labeling themselves with logos, flags, tattoos, clothing, hairstyles, jewelry, and music. This is an attempt to find and secure identity in things, celebrities, sexuality, and brands. It is sad to watch as people created in the image of God seek meaning in everything but God. This is condition of lost humankind. In the Epistle to the church at Ephesus, the Apostle Paul expounds some of the great truths of Christian identity. We learn in chapter one that our identity as believers in Jesus Christ is secured by God’s choice in eternity past (1:3-6). We rejoice in the identity we’ve been given by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (2:1-9). Our identity is not just in eternity but it is also here and now as we live (2:10) so that our new identity in Jesus comes with a new purpose for life - good works. But that’s not all, not by a long shot! Our new found position in our Lord Jesus Christ includes new relationships, new foundation for life, and a new purpose for existence! As the Church of Jesus Christ, Scripture says we are…
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Did you know that marriage has a mission? Marriage is not a mere sociological invention of man instituted for the propagating and stabilizing of societies.
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I want to encourage our congregation to make OTHERS our 2023 MISSION. Let’s be passionate and purposeful to live this year for God’s glory in ways that shine the light of the Truth of the Gospel of Christ to those around us. And, let’s do it with such humility that when they see God’s love through us they are compelled to give glory to our Heavenly Father.
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In the coming days, as we worship our Lord together and as we spend time with each other outside of scheduled services, let us continually look for ways to build each other up in the faith and to pursue a lifestyle of worship that is willing to set aside personal preferences for the sake of unity in the body of Christ.
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The godly father should be honored because when he fulfills his responsibilities he raises the level of life for everyone around him. If he is attempting to live out the biblical pattern for manhood, his is a role of life-long, sacrificial, loving leadership with the aim of presenting everyone around him mature in Christ at the judgment seat of God. What are the character and benefits of godly male leadership in the home?
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Modern times have looked skeptically upon the role of fatherhood. Historically, the father was the leader of the home and mother was his right hand. Dad brought home the bacon and mother cooked it, as the saying went. These days are a bit different. Now, we are taught that mom brings home the bacon and dad better cook it! To think otherwise, or even question this, makes us a chauvinist in some people’s eyes. What is going on here? Often we are given the impression that a father is not needed except to make the child, and now, well, we have ways around that too. All the while children, even grown children, are crying out for a warm relationship with a real, loving father. Countless studies have shown that many people are suffering emotionally because, for one reason or another, they did not have a deep relationship with their father.
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Can Grace Be Seen? Is there evidence of God's grace in you? Can we know if someone is a believer?
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The expectation of the “Chosen One” is everywhere in the Old Testament. This expectation is pictured In the protoevangelium (Gen. 3:15), Melchizedek the king-priest of Salem (Gen. 14:18), Israel’s blessing of Judah (Gen. 49:8-10), Moses’ mediatorial rule as a prophet, priest and king, the Davidic covenant, David himself, as well as the many prophecies scattered throughout the writings of the prophets.
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In John 17:1-5 we see that our Lord and Savior prayed first for himself. We should note that if Christ Jesus, who was God incarnate and without sin, needed to pray, how much more do we need to be given to prayer? We should never think that we can live for God with our prayer. Jesus prayed. He taught the disciples to pray (Luke 11:1-4). God’s house was to be a house of prayer (Luke 19:46). Christians are to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We are commanded to pray everywhere for all the saints (Ephesians 6:18) and for the preachers of the Gospel to have boldness (Colossians 4:2-4).
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Today we are in a battle like never before over beginnings. Why? Because our beginning determines our path. Our beginning determines our morals and ethics. Our beginnings determine our beliefs. Our beginnings determine our future and what road is right to take us there.
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If it can be said that there is one attribute of God that is more important than any other. When we read the Bible the holiness of God seems to rise above all other attributes.
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Worship has always been a family affair. We may observe this early in the Bible by examining the lives of the Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). God commended Abraham’s leadership in this matter when He said, for I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him (Gen. 18:19).
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About Hudson Taylor, Phyllis Thompson writes, “Hudson Taylor was a teenager when God told him to go to China. Though he was alone, broke and critically ill, he hung on to that goal and to the God who was sending him. Would God be enough? Danger and adventure abound in this true story of a man who dared to risk and trust.” When I read this little biography, I was reminded of the Apostle Paul. Like the Apostle so many years ago, Taylor’s missionary work was filled with sacrifice, extraordinary faith, and answered prayers.
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In the issue of the Coggins Courier, we considered what it means to be created in the image of God. We noted that Carl F. Henry summarizes the Protestant Reformed view of mankind being made in the image of God (imago Dei, Latin for “image of God”) as, “By the imago the Protestant Reformers understood especially humankind’s state of original purity, in accordance with Genesis 1 and 2, wherein Adam is depicted as fashioned for rational, moral, and spiritual fellowship with his Maker.” (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Elwell). Not only did we discuss the meaning of imago Dei we began applying this important doctrine to human life. By doing this we see that all human life has inherent value because we were created in God’s image. We found that since all human life is valuable God forbids murder of any kind.
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Human life has become cheap. When public officials and lawmakers stand and applause for the passing of a law that allows the murderous taking of the life of infants moments before exiting the womb, we may be sure that the moral and spiritual degradation of such leaders is complete.
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Is the church’s primary responsibility to win the lost or to worship God?
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Let’s brighten things up! It’s important that a church campus look welcoming, even inviting. Our campus should be a place that reflects our faith in our Great and Merciful God!
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Unfortunately, today that is often not the case. Many cannot, in good conscience and obedience to the Scriptures, simply attend the closest congregation to their home because it has forsaken the faith of Jesus. So this begs the question, What makes a church a living and vibrant congregation?
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All of us want to give our children a fighting chance in life. In fact, we want better; we want them to succeed. Often this well-meaning sentiment is misguided. We parents begin filling our children’s lives with things, lessons, and classes to ensure they fit in and do well. The problem is, in a troubled culture, this strategy backfires on us. Our culture has become godless; so trying to fit in can be harmful. The Apostle Paul foretells the shocking cultural conditions in the last days.
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R. Kent Hughes, Bible teacher and former Senior Pastor of the congregation of College Church, Wheaton, Illinois, observes that, “Common sense, as well as research, tells us that a vital element for building a family is instilling a healthy sense of heritage, an appreciation of one’s roots, both earthly and spiritual.” A legacy is not something that can be calculated in material terms. It is important, Proverbs says, for fathers to lay up (an inheritance) for their children.
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Many of you gathered with me my first Sunday evening as I talked about the 4 Core Values that will guide us as we move forward together as a congregation. It was a warm and blessed time of sharing what the Lord is doing among us and where He intends to take us.
Keep ReadingJan 11
2019
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great 19th Century Baptist preacher, and pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle once said, “Visit many books, but live in the Bible.” With such profound counsel as a guide, before I mention a few of the more helpful books that entered my study in 2018, let me first emphasize the importance of Holy Scripture in life.
Jun 1
2018
These books are just the ones that I had time for this year. I hope this list inspires you to read in 2018!