A Prophetic Journey Through Church Eras God's Church has walked a long and often difficult path for nearly two millennia. Despite enduring external persecution and internal division, it has never ceased to exist. It endures—sometimes visibly organized, often scattered—through the lives of individuals and communities determined to uphold God’s truth. This enduring legacy is often viewed through the lens of Revelation 2 and 3, where Jesus Christ addresses seven churches in Asia Minor. While … [Read more...] about The Church Across the Ages
Sabbath
The Exposing Light of Persecution
I have been reading a book about church history by Ivor Fletcher. Today, I want to address the topic of persecution. There are two basic concepts that struck me as I read this book. One was the idea that obeying God is hard. I would ask us to question relatively speaking in our modern context, how hard is it to obey God? The other question that was brought to mind was, how will we, in all the churches of God, use markers of identity to distinguish among ourselves. Will … [Read more...] about The Exposing Light of Persecution
There is a Generation. . .
We are shown four things in scripture that God considers to be incredibly important at any point in time. The four characteristics in Proverbs 30 are referenced by the phrase "there is a generation”. The Hebrew does not identify a particular generation. This generation can exist at any point in time as can the characteristics that are listed. We will see that each one provokes separation from God, as Satan works his work to separate man from God. The first point: “There is a … [Read more...] about There is a Generation. . .
Our Job
We all have a job. At some stage in life, day after day, we work. Yet sometimes the daily repetition can turn into a blur of years in or outside the home. For 18 long years, I sat in the basement of a hospital, all alone, and programmed a computer to run the air conditioning. I wondered, how did my repetitious work fit into our calling? "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of … [Read more...] about Our Job
Sabbath Sanctity
Most of the 10 commandments are reasonably accepted as part of a civil society and the concepts have been built into the rule of law of Western society. But the Sabbath is a law that gets in the way. The prophet Amos brings that attitude to our attention. “Saying: when will the New Moon be past, that we may sell grain? And the Sabbath, that we may trade wheat?” (Amos 8:5). The Sabbath got in the way of their all-important personal activities. The seventh day needs to be important to God’s … [Read more...] about Sabbath Sanctity
3-D Sabbath
One of the pillars of our calling is the Sabbath day and failing to keep it can pave the way to losing our identity. Let’s look at three important dimensions of the Sabbath. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose,” (Romans 8:28). Not only is this an encouraging verse, it also helps us to understand a deeper dimension of the Sabbath. We know from 1 John 5:3 that the love of God is, “...that we keep His … [Read more...] about 3-D Sabbath