Month: December 2023

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Testing proves our faith.

Rev 12-18 John wanted the wavering churches and us to know that these 144,000 were given to the world to prove, just as Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that they had chosen to serve the living God. Their lives are an example to us to remain steadfast always abounding, uncompromising. When we reveal our faith to the world, there is a price, but God shows His faithfulness. Is this our testimony before the world?

Consider the striking similarities: Daniel and his three friends were found blameless; all served under evil empires and dictators, yet nothing was seen as grounds for accusation against them and no evidence of corruption. As Daniel and the three Hebrews were faithful, so these 144,000 will be the same. Their testimony will be true and without compromise.

How about us when we face testing? 

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Are We Sharing?

Rev 6-11 The Apostle John wrote the gift God has for those who will bow the knee is eternal life. However, in this chapter, we find that just as during the time of Jesus, men rejected what they could see with their eyes, so too men in the last stages of the clock of time, men will not cry out to God for His peace, love, and salvation but will continue to reject. That is a frightening thought that should drive us to share the good news of salvation with everyone who is divinely brought across our path so that they may not have to face the judgment of God.

Isn’t it ironic that Paul noted in Romans 1:32 “Although they fully know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.” These men fully understand God’s judgment and wrath but choose mountains and rocks to the path of goodness, love, and peace that only God can provide. We stop and ask, “Why?” Why do men reject God? Again, the words of the Apostle: “people loved the darkness rather than the light, because their deeds were evil.” [John 3:19]

Where is God leading you to share His love to others this day?

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Beam Me up.

Those were the words in a famous TV show, but Revelation 1 was precisely that for the last remaining Apostle, John. As a prisoner incarcerated on the Island of Patmos, John was given the revelation of the risen Christ in all of His glory. Hearing a voice, he turned and saw Christ. Precious ones, we too will see this Christ when we enter glory upon our death. Cling to these words: One day, you will see Him not dressed in a robe that was discarded at his death but now dressed in a robe that extended down to his feet, with eyes like a burning flame. His hair is whiter than wool, and his voice is like that of a waterfall.

Can you picture this, and are you ready to see the revealed Christ? Only those who have bowed the knee to Him and are washed in the blood of the Lamb.

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Truth

be discerning


When Jesus stood before Pilate, he asked him this question: What is truth? John answers that question in his first epistle and now again in John 2. The Truth resides in us, and the person of Jesus Christ said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and no one comes to the Father, and no one comes to the Father but by Me.” [John 14:6] As John writes to the elect lady and her children, he extolls that he has found some of her children living according to the truth. What does living according to the truth mean? It means, as John says, they walk according to the commandments of Christ. The commandment that John is referring to is what Christ said: Love one another, and by this, you fulfill the Law and the words of the prophets and prove you are one of the elect.

As we near the end of 2023, stop and ask yourself if you are walking according to the TRUTH, the Christ. As He loved, so we are to love one another. As He obeyed the commandments of the Father, we are to do likewise.

Where are you walking and living by the TRUTH?

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“Christ the Radiance of His Glory.”

1John, the beloved disciple who walked with our Savior for three years, now testifies that he, Peter, and the other disciples have heard and have seen with their eyes, have looked at and hands have touched this man Jesus, and He was truly the Son of God. John Piper writes: “Many are willing to believe in Christ if he remains a merely spiritual reality. But when we preach that Christ has become a particular man in a particular place issuing particular commands and dying on a particular cross exposing the particular sins of our particular lives, then the preaching ceases to be acceptable for many.” Thus, many during the time of John and to the present day continue to stumble over this cornerstone of truth for this means as Piper says “if the doctrine is true, every single person in the world must obey this one particular Jewish man. Everything he says is law. Everything he did is perfect.” But, men are, to the core, wanting to not believe or to accept this premise: Jesus was and is the very Son of God, just as the Roman Centurion testified at the cross.

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Faith that Endures

Which describes you

Hebrews 11 Jesus spoke to Thomas: “blessed are the people who have not seen and yet have believed.” Peter echoed this in his letter to the persecuted saints: “You have not seen him, but you love him. You do not see him now, but you believe in him, and so you rejoice with indescribable and glorious joy,” And now we too fall into that same picture frame, having never seen or been an eyewitness, yet we believe. Mark reminds us of this same principle: – if you choose to save your life, you will lose it in the end, but if you choose to lose your life for Christ’s sake, you will save it for all eternity;

The author of Hebrews reminds us that we must have faith, that God exists, and that he rewards those who seek him. If we should waver, we incur the judgment of God. The author wants us to learn from those who have gone on before us how to persevere in times of trials and triumphs so that one day we will hear: “Well done thou good and faithful servant…”

Are you stepping back because your eye is searching for something tangible rather than looking with eyes of faith? Remember this principle: “If we endure, we will also reign with him. If we deny him, he will also deny us”. [2Tim 2]

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The True Christmas!

Hebrews 9 Christ, our Savior, went from the cross to the grave and from that grave arose to enter once for all “into the Most Holy Place not by the blood of goats and calves but by his own blood, and so he himself secured eternal redemption.” [Heb 9:11] That is the true story of Christmas! And the why is explained further by the Hebrews author: “how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our consciences from dead works to worship the living God.” [Heb 9:14] Further, the author gives us a promise: “So also after Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many, to those who eagerly await him, he will appear a second time, not to bear sin but to bring salvation.” [Heb 9:28]

Are you eagerly waiting for His return?

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Christmas Gifts!

1 Peter 1-5 Salvation is our greatest gift
Christmas is almost upon us, and with it, the spending spree! Americans are no longer satisfied with just an orange and a new pair of socks. No! We want the biggest and the best gift we can find, whether within our budget or not. How different our Christmas is today from yesteryear. Peter probably never celebrated Christmas as we know it, but he certainly knew about gifts. In his letter to the dispersion, he writes about the most incredible gift any believer can receive, being chosen by the foreknowledge of God. “By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” [1 Peter 1:2]

As you wander through the maze of shoppers, stop and gaze at their countenances. Are they happy? Are they satisfied? Most are not because they do not have this assurance that it will only be opened on Christmas morning but every morning from now until eternity.

Stop and ponder that gift and spend time thanking God for His wonderful gift that will outlast any Christmas!

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Christmas and Mr. Scrooge

Titus 1-3 Charles Dickens wrote “A Christmas Carol” long ago, but it is as if it were written today. There will always be the Scrooges in our midst. Paul doesn’t mince words  about the Scrooges Titus we would meet. These are rebellious, empty talkers, and the result is that they upset not just themselves but everyone around them. We too might meet such persons. They are the ones who say ‘humbug’ to all the trappings of Christmas and they were doing just that to Titus’ overtures. They profess to know God, but their very lives deny Him, and especially on Christmas. Have you met them? They are stingy and hardened. They say, just as Scrooge said, respect my decisions.

How does one handle the Scrooges? First, see that God has left us here to speak words of love to them about the love that came down from heaven to save men. Remember Scrooge’s nephew who went out of his way to be hospitable, but Scrooge rejected him? You might receive such a gesture, but the Apostle Paul says even to them, you are to be hospitable by not giving up. We are to hold fast and be faithful in word and deed. Indeed, do not malign them or demonstrate malice.

As Christ loved us first, we are to love others and continue to do that even if rejected.  And remember this: “Even God’s smallest plan is bigger than any dream we will ever hope for.” [Donna Van Liere: The Christmas Blessing]

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What is your goal for 2024?

Study to know

Paul left his protégé Timothy in Ephesus to teach sound doctrine because he was proven reliable, trustworthy, and loyal. Paul calls him his “true child in the faith.” How about us? Would Paul say the same about us? As we bid farewell to 2023, we should be thinking about our goals for 2024. Paul wrote to Timothy. “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” [1Tim 1:5]

Notice Paul’s goals for Timothy: love from a pure heart, have a good conscience, and demonstrate sincere faith. Three basic goals that are achievable in real-time. As we think ahead, which of these three goals might be yours as we re-enter Bible studies and fellowship with others beyond our regular Sunday services? Where will you be reading, studying, and memorizing? Where will you meet the concerns of others?

We will be reading again using the NET Bible online study tool. We implore you to join with us as we enter 2024. So here’s our question to you, the reader: are you more interested in reading through the Bible chronologically or just reading through the Bible? Let us know your preferences: https://knowinggod.org/ or https://netbible.org/.

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