by Ed Allen | Mar 18, 2019 | Articles, What Do You Think?
Mark 7: 14 After He called the crowd to Him again, He began saying to them, “Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15 there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16 [“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”] 17 When he had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable. 18 And He said to them, “Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19 because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20 And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22 deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23 “All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.” (Observation) In verses 14-16 Jesus answers the charge of the Pharisees and scribes that the disciples were violating the traditions of the elders by eating without washing. The explanation of the parable decries the wickedness of those who keep their traditions while sinning against their fellows. (Interpretation) A man is not defiled by what goes into his belly, but by what comes out of his heart. The words and actions of a man reveal what is in his heart; whether good or evil. (Cross-reference) Matthew 12: 33 “Either...
by Walt Henrichsen | Mar 4, 2019 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“He said, ‘Depart; for the girl is not dead but sleeping.’ And they laughed him to scorn.” Matthew 9:24 Jairus, one of the Jewish leaders, asked Jesus to heal his dying daughter. Upon arriving at Jairus’ home, the daughter had already died. Jesus asked the mourners to leave so He could awaken her from her sleep. Upon hearing this, “they laughed him to scorn.” Jesus incited them to admit she was dead, else when He raised her from the dead they were apt to say she was only asleep. This way Jesus got them to admit that what He was about to do was miraculous; when she arose from the dead they had to admit they had witnessed a miracle. You must use the same strategy in your relationships with others. Until a person realizes he is sick, he resists going to the doctor. Unless a person admits he has a need, he sees no compelling reason to surrender his life to Christ. Unless you admit that God will judge you, and that that judgment will influence the quality of your eternity, you will not be motivated to yield to His authority. For more articles by Walt...
by Skip Tschantz | Feb 18, 2019 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“…but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.” Ephesians 6:6 A friend facing a moral dilemma recently said to me “I am struggling with my decision, but I want to do the right thing”. As we talked together in an attempt to work through the issue, I asked the question, “Do the right thing by whose standards?” This seems to be the key question as we face many of the difficult decisions of life and attempt to do what is right. “Do the right thing by whose standards” is the question. It is not that there is a lack of standards. Standards abound all around us. Everyone has their standards because everyone believes in moral absolutes. Meaning that everyone has a point where they declare what they believe to be right and wrong. At some point everyone will say “that is wrong” and in so doing they declare what is for them a moral absolute. The issue isn’t whether or not people believe in moral absolutes, the issue is who gets to decide what the moral absolutes are. That was the issue in the Garden of Eden and it is the issue today. A key distinction of being a Christian is that we affirm the fact that God gets to decide what is right and wrong and, in turn, we get to obey. To do otherwise is to expect to have a relationship with God on our terms as opposed to His. Something He is not anxious to do. As Followers of Jesus Christ we must not succumb to the pressure from the world...
by Walt Henrichsen | Feb 4, 2019 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” Isaiah 46:9-10 If you assume that God created the world, you cannot be convinced that He is just by looking at what He created. Assuming that I am correct in this observation, why did He do this? Remember, all relationships require reciprocity, and reciprocity requires the exercising of the will. You cannot have a relationship with a robot or a manikin. He created people in order to have a relationship with them, and because He is the Creator, and they are the created ones, submission to His will is essential for the relationship to exist. God created all people with a desire for autonomy. This desire was not the product of their sin, but the reason they sinned. If He had not created them with a desire for autonomy, they could not have chosen to have a relationship with Him. Having been given the choice, they rejected Him in their quest for autonomy. The heart of your relationship with God centers around the question of who you think should decide what is good and evil,1 what is in your best interest and what is contrary to your best interest. If God senses that you do not believe in the core of your being that He alone should define good and evil, He will not have a...
by Cody Hartshorn | Jan 21, 2019 | Articles, Testimonies
As men, we are driven by a desire for power. Though the Bible doesn’t define power, the essence of power is the ability to change or affect something. Wealth, sex, and authority are the means we use to exercise and gain a sense of power. God’s Word teaches that we are governed by powers which we cannot control (Jer 10:23). The curse of Adam was that sin was given power over us, and we can no longer exert our will in line with the God that guides and directs the creation (Eph 2:1). The Law cannot save us from the power of sin because the righteousness of the Law has no power of its own (Rom 8:3). This means that any attempt to overcome the power of sin strictly through obedience to the commands of God leads to condemnation. Sin has real power, it takes the Law captive and leads to death. Romans 6 teaches that when Christ triumphed over death, he took back the power of sin, making it possible that we could once again will with God. The power we have by the Gospel is contradictory to the power of the flesh. Our weaknesses are our strengths, we lead by serving, and we humble ourselves to be exalted. If our hope is that God will give us the desires of our flesh, we will be misled when things go according to plan. When we attribute our selfish gain to God, we are mastered by the power of sin. When we hold God accountable for the undesirable events of this world, we are similarly without reason to hope...
by Walt Henrichsen | Jan 2, 2019 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night; for it is written, `I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’” Matthew 26:31 If, prior to the betrayal of our Lord, the disciples had discussed how they could most completely misunderstand the events surrounding Jesus arrest, trial, and crucifixion, they could not have done a better job. What they perceived and what happened were exact opposites. They looked at the unfolding events as a tragedy of the first magnitude; dashed hopes, unfulfilled expectations, the destruction of their dreams. In reality, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ provided the basis for their hope of heaven and a life of purpose here on earth. This illustrates how wrong your perception of events can be. If you are like I am, you can look back on your life and see things that happened to you that you thought were counter productive to your best interest, if not a tragedy. Later you discover that it proved a blessing in disguise, as illustrated by the person who was angry because he missed his flight, only to find out later that the plane crashed. Conversely, you remember things that you initially thought were pure blessing, only to later discover were just the opposite, as illustrated by people who felt blessed that their spouse agreed to marry them, only to discover that they had entered into an unfortunate alliance. Pray that God will deliver you from bad decisions and circumstances, and then give Him thanks when events unfold in a way that make...
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