Church Blog (Page 107)

The battles that took place in Genesis 14 would be lost to history, but for Abraham’s nephew, Lot. Kedorlaomer and his 3 allied kings soundly defeated the other confederation of 5 kings, and in the process carried off Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah. Subsequently, Abraham mobilized his 318 fighting men to rescue Lot. Many a prosperity preacher has justified their riches by pointing to Abraham as a man of obvious wealth and resources. No one can argue with the latter point.…

For the new Bible student, it can be a surprise to find out that Jesus was not actually born on December 25, and even more so that he was born in about 4 B.C. Such is the nature of our corrected calendar. In 8 A.D. Jesus would have been 12 years old. His family made the trip from Galilee to Jerusalem for the Passover every year. On this trip home he was found to be missing. When Mary and Joseph…

Forgiveness? That’s a hard one! People crossing lines to cause deliberate harm? That is hard to forgive. Usually, people find it easiest just to log-it-in as a personal and wilful sin and wait it out. Many ‘Offense lists’ abide in many hearts awaiting apology or restitution. The devil loves these lists. He will justify, intensify, and satisfy any cravings you have to ‘right those wrongs.’ Believe it or not, an army of people are not waking up every morning wanting to…

In my youth, desperate for money, I went to work at a steel mill. It was heavily unionised. I left as soon as I found another job. In the few short weeks that I worked there I received a lot of money, despite going on strike at least twice (once was over a ‘demarcation dispute—a manager secured something on a trailer with a rope; so they ‘pulled the pin.’) I stood in a couple of union meetings that made my…

If ever we enjoyed a TV Western it was “Alias Smith and Jones.” Hannibal Heyes and Jedediah “Kid” Curry were the coolest guys on television. It was Hannibal Hayes who first introduced me to Five Card Stud. Being so young it was no big deal to lose countless matchsticks to my siblings. But for the adult gambling can easily become a habit that is hard to shake. Even before I was a Christian, I never really gambled much. I had…

A pleasant irony is found in the story of the Four Lepers of 2 Kings 7. Unwelcome in their own besieged and starving city they decided to try their luck with the enemy-what did they have to lose? Thus, they wandered into a massive freshly abandoned camp. Taking advantage of the situation, they feasted on the food and plundered the valuables. Then their religion kicked in. They admitted to each other: “We are not doing right. This is a day of…

Heaven. All those tricky questions finally answered. ‘Did Solomon reject the idols of his wives?” “Did Simon the sorcerer make it?’ and ‘What’s it like to preach a nine-word sermon, convert 120,000 people, and be remembered for everything else but that?’ I have a question for the thief on the cross. But I’ll get to that soon. First, let me tell you about thieves I have known. Thieves, the most selfish of men. As expert in justifying their crimes as they…

Cain and Abel abide as the consummate ‘Good son—Bad son’ story. Two boys raised in the same environment who turn out so differently. Abel’s sacrifice accepted by God; Cain’s rejected. What was wrong with Cain’s sacrifice? Tragically, the specific answer to that question is one that lies beneath the dirt with its victim. The biggest clue lies in Cain’s attitude in the face of God’s warning. His anger had gotten the better of him. He was bent on avenging himself, because…

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:3). This, the first of the Ten Commandments, sets the tone for the other nine. Hard on its heels, the Second Commandment, forbids the worship of idols, and He adds: “For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God” (Ex20:5). God will not abide being relegated to first equal or to a close second. Its Him and nothing else. All other gods are man-made ‘nothings’ (1Cor.8:4). You will agree that…