The original instructions given to ancient Israel regarding the first two Holy Days of the annual Holy Day cycle clearly emphasize the isolation of leaven. This applied to both the restriction of eating it and its removal from their dwellings (Exodus 12:15-20). The fact that the days of Unleavened Bread follow immediately after the Passover is important. Christ’s sacrifice paid the penalty for our sins and opened the way for us to come into a close, reconciled relationship with Christ and the … [Read more...] about Leaven and Reconciliation
Repentance and Conversion
Help My Unbelief
God’s people experience both faith and doubt in their journey through life. Maybe it’s not doubt to the level of denying God’s existence, but we can see many examples laid out for us in God’s word of both conditions of faith and doubt happening to godly people. Satan works tirelessly to sow seeds of doubt. Doubt is something that can grab us, and it can grow and fester. However, there are methods to help prevent doubt, or to overcome it, and to continue to grow in faith instead. There are … [Read more...] about Help My Unbelief
The Garden of Eden Prototype
When God created mankind there was a strong bond between the Creator and the Created. This bond extended to the rest of the earthly creation that God had made. Man was to work with the environment to subdue it and have dominion. In other words, he was to dress and keep it. God and man walked together, they talked together, and they worked together. All of those things are contained in the first chapters of Genesis. The Creator, Man, and the environment all worked … [Read more...] about The Garden of Eden Prototype
When You Are Accused
It is understood that at some point in our lives we will all be accused of wrongdoing. Shame and dishonor are brought against our name when we are innocent. It's the nature of the world we live in. David, King of Israel had no shortage of experience with false accusation and betrayal. King Saul sought to take his life, his own son Absalom sought to take his Kingdom, and he was often hated without cause. David sums up the intense feelings of betrayal in Psalm 109: “They have also … [Read more...] about When You Are Accused
Navigating Church Dichotomy Without Cynicism
The Church today presents a fairly complex panorama. Many different organizations each claim in their own way to be the true Church. But there are various flavors of culture and to some degree flavors of doctrine. Consequently, it is important to help young people figure out how to navigate the Church landscape today. There is a chasm between what the Church is and what it’s supposed to look like. It’s difficult for all of us. But it is especially problematic for young people who are … [Read more...] about Navigating Church Dichotomy Without Cynicism
Conditioning the Human Heart
The human heart is something we frequently discuss because there is so much we need to learn and to overcome about ourselves. The heart in this context is a term that simply means what is at the center of a person, who we are, what motivates us and what drives the conditions of our relationships with one another. The spirit in man was given to humans by God enabling them to think and reason and therefore have dominion over the rest of creation (Job 32:8). It also enables a human mind to hurt, … [Read more...] about Conditioning the Human Heart
The True Nature of Leadership
I think we can say factually that we are in a crisis of leadership in this country and the world. It is not just political government. Leadership is also suffering in education, business, city governments, families and in the Churches. Today I want to take a practical look at this issue of leadership. It’s not so much a discussion of leadership principles but more about the whole concept of leadership, the nature of leadership. First, I want to look at leadership from a worldly … [Read more...] about The True Nature of Leadership