There is an area that has affected me perhaps the most in recent times. We’re all different. But what I find it very, very hard to deal with is man’s inhumanity to his fellow man. We are not caring about or thinking about the effect our behavior is having on other people, whether individually or nationally. For many people on this earth today, human life has very little value. Solomon had something to say about the state of oppression on the earth: “Then I returned and … [Read more...] about Let the Oppressed Go Free
God's Plan
The Prophetic Return of Christ
Our lives consist of and are measured by pivotal events and experiences that change our direction, our behavior. They can change our outlook on life in one way or another. Throughout history God has placed pivotal events upon humanity to shake us from the paradigms which allow us to justify our behavior, to define for ourselves what is good and evil. Some have developed a form of godliness but, whether knowing or unknowingly, deny the power and purpose of God as their Creator and … [Read more...] about The Prophetic Return of Christ
God Is with His People
One way that we can make sense of the Church today is to look at the blueprint of how God built up a people to be His people. Since Christ doesn’t change, His consistency will be evident in how He dealt with ancient Israel and how He deals with the Church today. As Moses prepared the children of Israel to enter the land of Canaan, he wrote the words of the law in a book and placed that book in the Ark of the Covenant. Then God through Moses addressed the people of Israel … [Read more...] about God Is with His People
Predestination
Many are working very hard to build a closer relationship with God. We all have ideas and concepts that are not exactly where they need to be. One small step further in this relationship building is to understand better God’s personal plan for each of us. As individuals we tend to plan out our lives in advance. As we plan, questions arise: Were we, as individuals, chosen before the foundation of the world? Does God plan our life in advance? Has God predetermined our future? We need some … [Read more...] about Predestination
Our Old Man
In assessing the many aspects of the body of Christ, the thing that stands out to me is that we have a personal responsibility to the body. We cannot sidestep that. We could summarize that responsibility as: “But the manifestation of the Spirit (or the fruit or the expression of the Spirit) is given to each one for the profit of all:” (1 Corinthians 12:7). To be able to express the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), obviously one must first have it. This is where our individual … [Read more...] about Our Old Man
The Collapse of Justice
Our problems with justice today began with those entrusted with judgment in ancient Israel. They rejected God’s moral authority over them. They made the law void. The problem continues to this day in that God’s moral authority is also rejected by those entrusted to uphold it now. The Enlightenment, a movement in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, promoted reason and reason alone as the method of obtaining truth. Nietzsche, a man famous for saying God is dead … [Read more...] about The Collapse of Justice
Godly Justice
Administering justice is a major theme of the Bible. King David administered justice to all his people (2 Samuel 8:15). Indeed, God expects His people to administer justice: "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?" (1 Corinthians 6.2-3). So that is the question: Do you and I practice justice … [Read more...] about Godly Justice