God’s Church is central to His plan of salvation for all mankind as a precursor of the “pouring out” of His Holy Spirit on all humanity. But that profound impact is difficult to grasp because the Churches are mostly ignored by the world today. What can we do now to ensure that we stay strong and don’t fall prey to discouragement? There is a process to help us succeed. The beginning of the book of James gets right to it: “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, … [Read more...] about Remaining Steadfast
Repentance and Conversion
Self-Examination: Are We in the Faith
We are subjected to all kinds of tests throughout our lifetime. Some are routine, but others are unavoidable, deeply personal tests: peer pressure, emotional suffering, financial upheaval, and temptation. With a fear of failure, we usually don’t consider these as positive experiences. However, with good preparation we can face self-examination confidently. “Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is … [Read more...] about Self-Examination: Are We in the Faith
Survivalism
Remember when it seemed as if everyone was planning for the coming zombie apocalypse? It highlighted for me the fascination people have with the collapse of society and prepping for survival. There are serious prophecies about the dark days ahead for the world, but should we be focused on preparing physically? Prepping has, for some, become a false religion called “survivalism”. It’s fueled by apocalyptic movies, survivalist TV shows, and violent video games. These are especially … [Read more...] about Survivalism
A Lasting Reputation
It would be reasonable to assume that Jesus Christ, during His human life, was a man of good reputation. But this was not always the case. During Jesus Christ’s life He was considered a deceiver, a blasphemer, demonically possessed, and even Satan himself. A man of “no reputation,” no good reputation (Philippians 2:7). How can this be? How much it must have hurt to be falsely accused by the people He loved and for whom He was to give His life. Surely a good reputation is the primary goal of a … [Read more...] about A Lasting Reputation
Stay Alert in Satan’s World
Many years ago, in the mid-1990s, while looking for a new church hall, I heard an interesting tale about a piano. There in South Florida, the retiree population loved to dance, so dance halls were plentiful to rent. At one location, the hall director was having trouble getting the stage arranged to his satisfaction. Specifically, the piano was in the wrong spot. When he tried to move it, the regular customers protested and demanded it be moved back. Frustrated, the director gave up. Some … [Read more...] about Stay Alert in Satan’s World
Spiritual Energy
It is hard to believe, but only about four years ago did I find out that I am an introvert! I started my career in Australia working in the basement of a hospital running five computers. The exhaustion introverts experience in the presence of a crowd of chatty co-workers was unknown to me. That all changed when I moved to California to work in a cubicle among fifteen noisy, bubbly people. It was exhausting. I counseled about this issue, took a Myers-Briggs personality test, and confirmed that … [Read more...] about Spiritual Energy
Staying in the Right Lane
I live just outside Denver, Colorado, and commute into the city for work. Over the past two years, I’ve noticed certain patterns in traffic flow. One of the four lanes available to me is the one that gets me to work in fifteen short minutes. In the “right lane,” the journey is consistent, a proven path. Now and then, my “right lane” appears to slow, and I am tempted to move into the adjacent lane. If I do, inevitably, it seems the car that was behind me rolls right past as the “right lane” … [Read more...] about Staying in the Right Lane