by Ed Allen | Oct 20, 2016 | Articles, What Do You Think?
IT IS WELL 1 Thessalonians 4:13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words. (Observation) The passage begins and ends with comfort as it’s stated purpose. Those who have died as believers in Jesus Christ will be raised from the dead to meet Jesus, “in the air” when He returns. Believers alive at the time will follow those arisen from the dead, to likewise, “meet the Lord in the air.” (Interpretation) I suggest to you that we are to take comfort from the passage in at least two ways: First, because of our eternal “hope” in Jesus Christ we do not grieve the death of our loved ones without hope, for our saved fellows who...
by Micah Olson | Oct 17, 2016 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Treasures In Heaven Part 4—How Do You See Treasure Clearly? Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 Part 1 – What Is Your Treasure? Part 2 – Where Is Your Treasure? Part 3 – How Do You Store Up Treasure? Part 4 – How Do You See Treasure Clearly? Question: How do you form an accurate filter system? In Matthew 6:19-23, Jesus connects storing up treasures in heaven with having a clear eye. The eye is the lamp of the body, and if our eye is clear we will be full of light. It is only if our eye is clear that we will understand the reality that treasures in heaven are more important than treasures on earth, and only if our eye is clear will we understand how to live our life in such a way that is pleasing to God and leads to treasures in heaven. So let’s take a step backwards and ask, “How do we make our eye clear?” How do we ensure that our view of reality is accurate? Jesus addresses this question a number of ways in the gospels, and the answer always comes back to obedience. If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching, whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself. John...
by Micah Olson | Oct 3, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
Treasures In Heaven Part 3—How Do You Store Up Treasure? Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 Part 1 – What Is Your Treasure? Part 2 – Where Is Your Treasure? Part 3 – How Do You Store Up Treasure? Part 4 – How Do You See Treasure Clearly? Question: How do you store up treasures in heaven? 2 Corinthians 5:10 teaches that all men will one day appear before Christ in Judgment. At the Bema Seat1 we will be recompensed, both good and bad, for our deeds in this life. In 1 Corinthians 3:11-15, Paul gives an analogy of what happens at our Judgment. He describes our life’s work as going through a fire. If a believer’s life work consists of gold, silver, or precious stones, then his work will remain upon going through the fire, and he will receive eternal reward. If a believer’s life consists of wood, hay, or straw, it will get burned up upon going through the fire, and that man will suffer eternal loss. How does a man live his life such that his life’s work will be considered gold, silver, and precious stones when he meets Lord Jesus at the Bema Seat? How do we store up treasures in heaven? The question of how a man accumulates rewards in heaven is the...
by Micah Olson | Sep 19, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
Treasures in Heaven Part 2—Where is your treasure? Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 Part 1 – What Is Your Treasure? Part 2 – Where Is Your Treasure? Part 3 – How Do You Store Up Treasure? Part 4 – How Do You See Treasure Clearly? Question: How do you know if your treasure is being stored up on earth or in heaven? None of us have the ability to check our heavenly bank account. Therefore, on this side of the grave, there is no way we can objectively know to what degree we are storing up treasure in heaven. Nevertheless, Matthew 6:19-21 is a call for us to examine ourselves on this question. The difficulty in obeying Matthew 6:19-21 is immediately obvious. Who among us does not attach importance to earthly possessions? There is not a man reading this who would not experience some angst if he lost his life-savings. Any of us would be deeply grieved upon losing a loved one, especially a wife or child. And if we are being honest, there are much less important temporal possessions that would cause us great pain if they were taken from us. To be human is to attach importance to temporal things. Intrinsic in Matthew 6:19-21 is the idea that the desire to store up treasures on...
by Micah Olson | Sep 5, 2016 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Treasures In Heaven Part 1- What Is Your Treasure? Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21 Part 1 – What Is Your Treasure? Part 2 – Where Is Your Treasure? Part 3 – How Do You Store Up Treasure? Part 4 – How Do You See Treasure Clearly? Question: What does Christ mean by treasure? In order to think about Matthew 6:19-21 clearly, it is helpful to make a distinction between possessions and treasures. The Greek word translated “treasure” is thesauros which means “the place in which good and precious things are collected and laid up.” I think the best definition for treasure, in the context of Matthew 6:19-21, is: “something that is very special, important, or valuable.” See Note 1 In the context of this article, I define the word “possession” to mean any form of worldly belongings or assets. All men, in some form or another, have worldly possessions. Whether it is your savings account, your 401K, your house, the clothes on your back, or a little food that you have saved for your next meal, no man is completely without worldly possessions. To review…a treasure is something that is very important to you, and a possession is just something that belongs to you. You have many possessions, but not all of your possessions are treasures. My sock...
by Dave Szabo | Aug 22, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
Life Verses I have found, as I am sure many of you have, that there are certain passages in God’s word that just speak directly to my heart. Here is one that I committed to memory many years ago and has blessed me through the years. Psalm 73:23-26 NASB 23 Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. 24 With Your counsel You will guide me, And afterward receive me to glory. 25 Whom have I in heaven but You? And besides You, I desire nothing on earth. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Psalm 73 was written by an OT priest named Asaph. In this psalm Asaph was troubled by the prosperity, arrogance, seemingly carefree lives of the wicked while he went through the trials and tribulations of life that he observed did not happen to the wicked. He really wondered if it was worth it to live for God! Then in verses 16-19 he says: 16 When I pondered to understand this, It was troublesome in my sight 17 Until I came into the sanctuary of God; Then I perceived their end. 18 Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction. 19 How they are destroyed in a moment! They are utterly swept away by sudden terrors! When Asaph considered life from an eternal perspective his thinking changed and he wrote verses 23-26. A few thoughts for consideration on verses 23-26: Verse 23: Jesus has taken hold of me and He will never let go....
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