by Gayle Jackson | Jan 25, 2016 | Articles, Mentors Corner
I have been thinking a lot recently on where we are going as a people and what lies ahead. With a family of 15, I concern myself with things like this. I am not pessimist by nature but I am clearly concerned for what lies ahead. Some of my key concerns are because of: Socially and academically, as a people we embrace a low opinion of the Bible. Both inside & outside the institutional church, biblical standards are frequently violated and these violations are accepted. Our loss of recognition that Israel is at the epicenter of history past and future and our waning support of Israel. After much reflection, I decided the greatest gift I can give my family for their future is a commitment and knowledge of the Bible. Not money but the bible. This should be my legacy. The application of the word in their culture is their only hope. It is the only inheritance that will not betray them in the coming time. It is the only truth document on our relationship to God and others that has lasted 2000 years. Historically when people gather in community for any reason and for a period of time, corruption and debauchery set in. As a people we have gathered and can’t stay away from corruption and a culture that is debauched. Just review Babel. This influence has always taken us down wrong paths and away from the Word’s teaching. My observation historically is that once a social line of standards are drawn we immediately begin to drift downward morally and religiously. All people, professing, Christians included, tend to...
by Ed Allen | Jan 18, 2016 | Articles, What Do You Think?
John 20: 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her. (Observation) When Jesus appears to Mary, she only recognizes Him when He calls her by name. When she clings to Him, He stops her saying “I have not yet ascended to the Father.” He instructs her to “go to My brethren” and tell them He is about to ascend to the Father. (Interpretation) I suggest to you that verse 17 implies that the time for clinging to Jesus begins after His ascension, for after His ascension believers will cling, hold on, “keeping faith” in Him on whom they have believed. Except for the time Jesus gestures to His disciples and says to a messenger “Behold My mother and My brothers,” I know of no other incidence in the four gospels when Jesus calls His disciples “My brethren.” So, it follows, I further suggest, that once the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus...
by Craig McAndrews | Jan 11, 2016 | Articles, Testimonies
The Bible quotes God as saying, “I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” (I Samuel 13:14). Do you see yourself as a man after God’s own heart? Another way to think about it is in terms of pursuit. Do you pursue knowing God more and drawing close to Him? I don’t know that I ever fully understood what that could be like until I experienced a nearness to God during a mission trip I took to a foreign country. During the trip, I had countless experiences where I was uncomfortable, nervous, and even a bit afraid. In one specific incident, we were serving lunches at an event we were hosting, and due to the size of the crowd, we ran out of food. In this case, the timing was perfect as each of the attendees received a lunch. Myself, and several members from our group were the only ones who did not receive the meal being served. Since we had prepared our own food before we left the house, it was no big deal as we simply ate the sandwiches we brought with us. However, shortly after lunch, one of the attendees asked our team leader why we did not eat the food that everyone else was eating. He specifically asked if we were unwilling to eat the same food that was provided to those who were participating in the event. As you can imagine, the intensity was high when the question was asked given that we did not intend to insult anyone. I...
by Walt Henrichsen | Jan 4, 2016 | Articles, Mentors Corner
“The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.” Exodus 14:14 When Israel reached the Red Sea, the Egyptian army approached their rear to recapture them and return them to a life of slavery. To quiet their hearts, Moses gave this instruction; they were to remain passive and God would deliver them without their needing to fight. Years later, after King Solomon replaced his father as king of Israel, he did four things to “secure the kingdom in Solomon’s hands:”1 First, he had Adonijah killed, who had endeavored to establish himself as king prior to Solomon. Second, he had Joab, the commander of the Lord’s army killed. Third, he removed Abiathar as high priest, replacing him with Zadok, Solomon’s personal choice. Fourth, he ensured that Shimei died, who had belittled King David. Throughout Solomon’s reign it appears that he looked more to his own interests, rather than passively following the advice of Moses on the Exodus. In both the illustration of the Exodus and Solomon, it appears that their strategies worked, and Scripture does not comment on which of the two He favored. During the time when Joshua led Israel, God rebuked the people because “…the men…asked not counsel at the mouth of the LORD.”2 I can find no evidence that Solomon ever “sought counsel of the Lord.” Assuming that you “seek counsel of the Lord,” you still have to decide when God wants you to passively wait on Him and when He expects you to actively do what seems best to you. It may be that God is intentionally ambiguous to keep you perpetually dependent...
by Gayle Jackson | Dec 28, 2015 | Articles, Mentors Corner
What will we be held accountable for in Heaven? Some today say “nothing” but this thinking is not found in the bible. I think our first response would be our adherence to His teaching in the Bible. But I must say the largest percentage of the men I know live “somewhat” of a form of a moral life but not necessarily obedient to the Scripture. Their view of God as a nice, sugar daddy, understanding figure is in question. They basically have accepted Christ but live on the fringe of the Christian Word. They somewhat buy in to this proposition of no accountability with God. In obeying the Word, a tricky part of adhering to the Word is your handling of the positive commands of God. Notice 2 things about the positive commands 1. There are no metrics to these commands. Only God can keep score. 2. We get to define how these commands are to be applied in our environment/culture. Good news: you get to decide what the application of these commands looks like. Bad news: you get to explain your decision on application to God. But what I have observed as the greatest short fall in today’s man is his lack of vision or development of his Giftedness for his place and work in the kingdom of God on earth. God has given us our giftedness to live a life for Him in our times. Our giftedness may help us in business and society and school but it appears to me that God gave the gifts to us mainly to be used in the kingdom of God....
by Rob Amerine | Dec 21, 2015 | Articles, Testimonies
One morning over a year ago God provided a ministry opportunity at a local coffee shop. At the time I had been displaced from my home and in the throes of a very challenging and painful family situation. I was angry and financially wiped out. Feeling overwhelmed about the decisions I had made to this point and the consequences that it meant for my family I was broken and had cried out that morning for direction and mercy from the Lord. Just hours later I found myself in a conversation with a guy older than me who had moved to town weeks earlier and said he had come to the Lord a few years ago. In our first meeting when I asked why he moved here he said outright “I’m just looking to be discipled”. I was pretty taken back by this and knowing my current situation I was thinking that this guy needed someone older who had it more together and could invest the time and energy he needed. We traded contact information and I just went about my day trying to manage my emotions and pains the best I could. I ran into him again and again that week at the same coffee shop so we ended up having a few more conversations that quickly turned to spiritual matters. From what he shared he had a solid understanding of the gospel but really wanted to know how to study the bible. He had a very likable personality and seemed to know a lot of people. I soon found out that he was basically homeless but was finding...
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