Acts

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Crazy about studying.

Acts 26:24 Now as he thus made his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are beside yourself! Much learning is driving you mad!”

Paul gave his testimony before King Agrippa and Governor Festus.
He told them about studying and becoming a Pharisee, his zeal for the Law and Israel, and then his conversion on the Damascus road.
What Paul did not tell was the amount of time he took to reverse his theology.
He went from an advocate of the Law to an advocate of grace.
He went from destroying the church to preserving it.
Basically, Paul studied the scripture and discovered Yeshua (Jesus) throughout.
Remember, the only scripture Paul had was the Old Testament.
He was excited about this discovery of Jesus throughout the Law and Prophets.
Festus thought too much studying was driving him crazy.
But can too much study make you crazy?
I think it makes you informed and knowledgeable.
If you fail to study you will fall behind.
My preaching of God’s word is not the same as it was in 1980.
Why?
I studied and learned more.
Plus the closer we get to the return of Jesus the more we understand the scripture.
Some things exist today that did not exist in 1980 that may play into end-time prophecy.
The Internet has opened up a world of resources and libraries that, at one time, you could only find in books.
It is up to you to continue to study God’s word through your church and all the resources now open to you. Become crazy about studying God’s word.

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Made by Man

I like to see where things are made!

It’s fascinating to stand in the clothing section of a store and look at the tags; at least it’s fascinating to me. China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Costa Rica, Mexico, and India all pop up. Continue reading →

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Jesus everyday!

It’s Wednesday once again. I’ve prepared for the Bible study and prayer meeting for tonight.

I don’t know where or when the Wednesday evening church meeting came from. Continue reading →

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You can’t win them all – part 5

It’s sad about those that hear the Gospel over and over and never respond to it. They can blame everyone and everything.

Judas may have had a lot of excuses for the way he was and what he did. Continue reading →

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Apologetics – Part 4

Over three years had passed since his conversion to Christianity from Judaism. He had visited Arabia, Damascus, and finally the birthplace of the church – Jerusalem. Continue reading →

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Apologetics – Part 1

My church gathered to watch God’s Not Dead on New Year’s Eve. Many told me it was the best movie they have ever seen.

It is an excellent movie.

I think about how the student defended his Christian faith against the college professor. That’s called Christian apologetics. While I am a Christian and I will defend my faith, I’m not sure I would or could do it in the same method as the student in the movie.
He did a lot of reading to find out the belief of different philosophers and scientist in order to defend the faith.

I, on the other hand, prefer not to cloud my mind with antichrist thoughts and ideas. I prefer to read the truth that is God’s word.

I found in the Bible one of the first Christian’s to get into apologetics – Saul, who became the apostle Paul.

After his salvation, he turned his attention to preaching Jesus as the Son of God. How did he do this being such a new Christian and freshly converted from Judaism?

This verse gives the key.

But Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. Acts 9:22

He increased!
I believe that means in knowledge and strength of the Holy Spirit.

He confounded!
This increased knowledge of the scripture gave him the ability to confound the knowledge of others.

He proved!
By using the scripture he was able to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s word.

This is Christian apologetics and it’s something you need to do also.

The church can no longer shrug when people question the faith or have questions about the Bible or doctrine. You must know what you believe and why you believe it.

Next time I will reveal through the scripture how Saul (Paul) was able to do this.

Abba, use me today to prove that Jesus is the Son of God and the only Way of salvation. YES&AMEN

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The Holy Spirit and False Doctrine

Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor 12:3

At the risk of being called judgmental, I often see someone that makes a claim of salvation but I see no evidence of it in their life.
I hear a minister read from the Bible and yet teach something contrary.

It seems to me that every Christian reads the same Bible, praises the same Father, and is filled with the same Spirit.
We may go to a different church but all the same things should apply.

But there are some that are on the edge of being sacrilegious – even blasphemous. The Bible says,

the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2 Tim 4:3-4

The time is here. Unsound doctrine is here. False teachers are here. Even those with their doctrine, which will curse the name of Jesus. These things are not possible with someone filled with the Holy Spirit.

Your only defense is to know what the word of God says through the power of the Holy Spirit. And the only way to know this is to read your Bible every day.

Abba, reveal truth to me. In Jesus name, YES&AMEN