Month: January 2019

By Grace Through Faith

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For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2:8-10)The relationship between grace, faith, and our works, is given in this passage. In short, we are saved BY grace, THROUGH faith, UNTO good works. If we alter this relationship we are in danger of creating a false gospel; a false Christianity.It is a fact that faith would be in …

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In Your Anger Do Not Sin

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A Bible Study by Jack Kelley “In your anger do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:26).” This is the verse the Lord impressed upon my heart as I was asking for a topic for this article. It’s familiar to anyone who has ever experienced any Christian counseling, and like many Bible verses it bears closer examination. Translations differ slightly in rendering this passage and the Greek contains some interesting insights, but Paul was quoting from Psalm 4 where the intent of the …

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The Power of the Holy Spirit

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Because we can’t become Christlike on our own, we must let the Holy Spirit produce godly characteristics in us. GALATIANS 5:22-26 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become boastful, challenging one another, envying one another. The Holy Spirit is vital to the Christian life. Read about …

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SALVATION Ezekiel 33:7-9

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Some groups use these verses to teach that a believer can lose his salvation. But this passage is not actually speaking of the spiritual salvation of individuals. Rather, it concerns Israel as a nation under the Mosaic Law, individual accountability, physical life and physical death. Under the Mosaic Law, if one were obedient to the Law, he would physically live; if one disobeyed the Law, he would physically die. If this passage were speaking about spiritual salvation and spiritual death, then spiritual salvation would be obtained by works. The passage states that “if you do all these things, if you …

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Pitfalls in Seeking God’s Will

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If you ask with a believing heart and listen for God’s answer, He’ll teach you how to live a life pleasing to Him Psalm 25:4-54 Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.5 Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. As a pastor, I am frequently asked how to make the right decision in challenging circumstances. Sadly, I see many people make mistakes in this area. For example, some people pray hastily for the Lord to lead them but do not …

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Jesus Wept

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John 11:1-44 Lazarus was sick. And Mary and Martha sent for Jesusso that He could come and heal him. But when Jesus heardthat Lazarus was sick, He did not go to him. Instead, He stayedwhere He was another two days. He also said, “This sicknessis not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son ofGod might be glorified thereby.” (John 11:4) Clearly, Jesuswasn’t the least bit concerned about this situation. Hefully intended to take His time getting to Lazarus.Have you ever felt as if God just HAD to act or you’d die?Yet despite your anxiousness, God seems …

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Just Imagine

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Ezekiel 1:28“Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD.” _____________________________________________________________Once while in Saint Petersburg, Russia, I had the blessing of seeing the most beautiful rainbow that I ever witnessed in my life. I can still see it now when I close my eyes. It appeared after a brief rain. From my right-hand side it looked as though it was rising up out of the city as it reached across the sky descending down …

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THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE

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Living a long life is a good goal, but nothing is more important than eternity in God’s presence. 1 John 5:5-12(KJV)5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.8 And there are three that …

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Faith Comes by Hearing

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Reflections From the Psalms And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. (Ps. 9:10) Paul the apostle wrote, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” (Rom. 10:17) Note that faith must COME – faith must come to be IN ME. This means that faith is not in me as a dimension of my natural life. It must come to be in me. And the only way in which faith can come to be in me is by, “hearing,” the Word of God. …

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