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All of us can pluck verses out of the surrounding context and use those verses to support our ideas. It’s in the context where a deeper understanding is revealed. Some of that revelation may be difficult for some of us to understand. It’s not just an Old Testament...
A pastor friend of mine, Ryan Rhoden, was asked to mediate between some believers in his church who were experiencing disagreement on a particular issue. . He said, "I will bring my bad theology, and you bring yours, and let’s sit down and talk.” The pastor was...
As the Lord continues to reset His Church amid all the exposures and the back-and-forth of denials, He is doing something new in the Church, not just with those who have abandoned what true prophecy is supposed to be, but with all members of the Church, no matter...
There are times when we want to be with someone or experience something that Satan will prevent our physical connection. Paul addressed this issue in his first letter to the Thessalonians,"We wanted very much to come to you, and I, Paul, tried again and again, but...
Today, as it was when Paul wrote his letter to the Church in Colosse, people have promoted theories about Jesus that mixed pagan ideas about the Lord with scriptural truth. These false teachers mixed their ideas with astrology, magic, and Judaism, presenting Jesus as...
At some point, our maturity in the Lord will reach an important and life-changing point. At that point, we will finally decide that all this world has to offer us is a lie, and we must initiate a departure from its false promises. In the closing verses of Galatians,...
I was walking through the historic cemetery in our town and noticed that someone had installed a statue of Jesus facing one of the tombs. At first glance, I recognized the statue as someone’s expression of their faith based on a particular expression of their belief...
Our acts of obedience can appear like a massive game of dominoes across a floor. One act of obedience will lead to another, taking us to places we never imagined. The same is true for our disobedience. We can think our weaknesses have derailed God's will for our...
It's essential to know the boundary of our calling. Stepping outside that boundary can make us vulnerable to things God did not plan for us to experience. Demons are waiting to attack those who step outside those boundaries. When Paul defended his apostolic authority,...
The phrase "the new you" has been used by health specialists, diet promoters, and plastic surgeons who promise a dramatic physical change that will transform a life. While such promises can have a positive effect, they are not new. Only our appearance changes by these...
When Jan and I pray for people who do not know the Lord, we specifically pray that the veil of their unbelief would be removed. Our prayer is simple: "Lord, make yourself known to them." When that blinding veil is removed, remarkable results have happened. Those who...
Some believers wait for a pastor or theologian to explain God's word to them, thinking they cannot understand Scripture on their own. God's word is straightforward. Even the most challenging sections can be understood if we approach them with a childlike...
We live in a time when people believe foolish lies, calling them the truth and forming their faith around those errant assumptions. It is happening now, just as it did when Paul was preaching. The point to which our faith is attached is the resurrection of Jesus from...
The Spirit has placed gifts in the Church not just for our edification and healing. Some have a different purpose. One of the gifts of the Spirit is the ability to call out an error that can lead a Church to veer off the path of truth and embrace an error. When Paul...
In a marriage, we don’t have a partner. We have a husband or wife—a man and woman united in a unique expression of oneness with God. While a husband and wife may partner together in the responsibilities of this life, it is their bond of marriage, not the tasks they...