by Walt Henrichsen | Jul 11, 2016 | Articles, People Not Listening
“Then Judas, which had betrayed Him, when he saw that He was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.” Matthew 27:3-4 Matthew 27 is devoted to the trial and crucifixion of Christ. Judas expressed remorse and returned the money to the Chief Priest. The men who had plotted Jesus’ death were indifferent regarding whether or not He was innocent. However, they were “spiritual” enough that they did not want to place the returned money in the Temple treasury: “And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood” (v. 6). Evidently, they thought it proper to sacrifice an innocent Man to protect their nation, which they perceived was threatened by His existence. Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, and was affirmed by his wife: “For he knew that for envy they had delivered him. When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him” (vv. 18-19). For fear of the people rioting, Pilate executed an innocent Man. While Jesus hung on the cross, “… the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; Himself he cannot save. If He be the King of Israel,...
by Ed Allen | Jun 27, 2016 | Articles, What Do You Think?
Romans 3: 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin. (Observation) The Law holds men accountable to God. The Law demonstrates that man falls short of God’s righteousness. (Interpretation) God’s purpose in giving the Law through Moses was not to give men a vehicle to become righteous in His sight, but rather to educate men in regard to their depravity and need for a savior. (Cross-reference) Galatians 3: 20 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (Application) Thanks to the Law I can see that I am a hopeless sinner doomed to eternal separation from God in Hell except for God’s provision of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. What do you think? If it were not for the law, would you have been or now be, “conscious” of your own sin? for more article by this...
by Gayle Jackson | Jun 13, 2016 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Joh_1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Joh_1:14 And the Word became flesh, and tabernacled among us. And we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and of truth. Words are important to our being. Matthew 12: 36 But I tell you that men will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 38 For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.” We think with words, therefore a sloppy vocabulary yields a sloppy mind. A vocabulary full of what we call curse words or slang will yield that kind of thinking. This generation loves the “f:” word. That will be a dominate influence in their thinking. We can’t believe that there is no impact from a bad, poor, dirty, etc. vocabulary. We think with words. Ergo, a society with a small vocabulary have a limited opportunity to develop. I have been told that those who study the “lost” tribes in the jungle, find the people with a small anemic vocabulary have a very underdeveloped culture. Think of the inner city’s vocabulary and look at the product. Just think of hip hop verses classical music and their impact of society. Evidence says we are better off with a strong good vocabulary in our culture. But all tribes of people have a word for God. The key to speed reading is your vocabulary. If you have a weak vocabulary, you are constantly struggling with...
by David Kotter | May 30, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
“If you died today, and were standing before God, what would you say to convince him to let you into heaven?” Imagine this question posed to you at a lunch meeting, or even perhaps on the phone. What would you say? Fortunately, I am prized with daily unbeliever intersections, which allow me the opportunity to ask this very question. As one might imagine the feedback runs the gamut, but all have a common theme, which is justification. Whether they consciously know it, or not, man is always playing the Luke 18 Pharisee justify card. “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector.” This manifests itself today, as “I am a good person,” or could be better understood as, “I am so much better than the next guy.” Man is always playing appraiser as he pulls out comps to support his own personal valuation. The tactic, to this attitude of hiding by justifying, is to ask questions, which expose the truth of his/her sin condition. Some of the questions I pose back to them are: How did you come up with that? What standard are you using? Does your standard trump someone else’s? Have you ever not lived up to your own standard? Questions are so powerful, and Jesus knew this well; look at Matthew 19:17: And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” Jesus knew about His own divinity, but was forcing this man to think...
by Gayle Jackson | May 16, 2016 | Articles, Mentors Corner
Forgiveness is a very large subject in the bible. In thinking on it, I realized that it is a key concept for the Church to survive. We must have a working creed of forgiveness and understand it or the church will come unraveled. The subject of forgiveness is much too extensive for a blog from me, so I am going to take it on in pieces. This issue covers the concept of forgiveness that is most prevalent among families and friends. As I have gotten older I realize the problem that my family, friends and associates have with forgiveness. I especially see this in family relations and a major focus of the angst is centered on the parents. I think as we age we just don’t shed bad experiences well. However forgiveness is a major issue with God and that is the reason we need to discuss it. Forgiveness: The definition from the Greek is cry, forgive, forsake, lay aside, leave, omit, put (send) away, remit, suffer, and yield up. The dictionary says FORGIVENESS- pardon, forgiveness; to let pass, take away, hide, wash, purify, release You get the sense that when you forgive you are putting an issue out of your life. Observation: Forgiveness is an act of the will. An emotion may be involved but a willful resolve is the force in the action of forgiveness. Your forgiveness is not governed by the other person’s response. You do it because God said to do it. Facts on Forgiveness: 1. It is commanded in the bible. 2. It is an act of the will. Emotion may or may not follow. 3. Your forgiveness may or may not be accepted by the other party. 4. It is unidirectional, no...
by Walt Henrichsen | May 2, 2016 | Articles, People Not Listening
“… to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.” 1 Corinthians 7:3 No one marries to meet the needs of his/her spouse, but rather to meet his/her own needs. For example, single men do not seek sex with women for the purpose of meeting the woman’s needs. This, Paul suggests in 1 Corinthians 7, serves as the basis for determining whether or not the dedicated follower of Christ should marry. Once married, Christ’s followers are confronted with God’s command to meet the needs of the spouse, while looking to God alone for the meeting of personal needs; the husband lives a self-sacrificial life on behalf of his wife. “Husbands, love your wives like Christ loved the Church when He gave Himself for her”.1 Apart from God’s insistence that His followers live such lives, where do you find affirmation that you should sacrifice meeting your needs in order to meet the needs of others? You only have a small number of choices: 1 – You can divorce, remarry, divorce – seeking to meet your needs. 2 – You can assume responsibility for your family and meet their needs while suppressing your narcissistic desire for happiness – hoping that this “suppressed volcano” will not erupt. 3 – You can advocate the abolition of marriage, live as you like and let the “Village” raise the children you bring into the world. 4 – Or, you can bend your will to the will of God and serve your family. Without the fear of eternal accountability for disobeying God, what motivates you to obey God, especially when you do not feel that your needs...
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