Rhonda Ballance

The Preservation of the Jewish People: A Great Miracle

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The Yellow Pages Note: “The Wailing Wall, Jerusalem” is a painting by Carl Friedrich Werner (1808-1894). The painting was done in 1863. Werner was a German watercolor painter. Notice that at the time of this painting, there was no division at the wall between men and woman, as there is today. One of my spiritual mentors when I was in my 20s was a great man of God named Carl Ketcherside (1908-1989). I heard him in a question and answer session one time when he was asked, “What do you think is the greatest evidence that the Bible came from …

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What is Wrong with Lordship Salvation?

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Dr. Andy Woods Sugar Land Bible Church Lordship Salvation is the idea that an unbeliever must commit all areas of his life to Christ as a condition for being saved. Another way of articulating Lordship Salvation is, “if Jesus is not Lord of all then He is not Lord at all.” Lordship Salvation began to significantly enter the American evangelical community in the 1980’s through the ministries of various prominent theologians and pastors. The movement began with the well-intentioned concern to address too much carnality in the Christian world. However, the proposed solution to this legitimate concern was to increase …

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Life From Above

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Reflections You are from beneath; I am from above: you are of this world; I am not of this world. (John 8:23) Jesus told Nicodemus, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit….You must be born again.” (John 3:6) All who are born in Adam are born of the flesh. In Adam, flesh is all we can ever be – and all that is built into the flesh is all we can ever possess. In fact, all that we are in Adam was permanently ruined through the sin of …

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By Grace Through Faith

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Reflections     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 …

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"I will be their God, and they shall be my people." 2 Corinthians 6:16

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  What a sweet title: “My people!” What a cheering revelation: “Their God!” How much of meaning is couched in those two words, “My people!” Here is speciality. The whole world is God’s; the heaven, even the heaven of heavens is the Lord’s, and he reigneth among the children of men; but of those whom he hath chosen, whom he hath purchased to himself, he saith what he saith not of others–“My people.” In this word there is the idea of proprietorship. In a special manner the “Lord’s portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.” All …

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9 Unbiblical Statements Christians Believe

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By Shane Pruitt   There are many things that Jesus-following, church-going, Bible-believing Christians believe that are completely unbiblical. One of the greatest gifts that God gave mankind was the Holy Bible because the Bible is literally God revealing Himself, and communicating Himself to mankind in written word. Anything and everything that we know about God comes from these Holy Scriptures, and they contain the totality of what we need to know about becoming a Christian, and everything that we need to know about living the Christian life. Orthodox Christianity teaches that the Bible was inspired and authored by the Holy …

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Evidence That The Church Began at Pentecost in Acts 2

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  By Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum Ariel Ministries Q. What is the biblical evidence that the Church began at Pentecost in Acts 2? A. The evidence comes in four passages of Scripture. The first passage that deals with the beginning of the universal church isColossians 1:18: And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. The point of this verse is that the Church is the Body of the Messiah. The second passage that deals with the beginning of the universal church …

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Prepare for End Times Apostasy! QA 4th May 2016 Ron Matsen Chuck Missler

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Published on May 4, 2016 This week, Ron Matsen speaks with Chuck Missler about what we can do, as Christians, to prepare for End Times Apostasy . Are we really the last church of the seven? What is all this talk about Hermeneutical Hygiene? Are the commentaries we use now, just another form of Talmud?            

19 The Victor's Crown

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The Sufficiency of Christ Part 2.   Philippians 4:17 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account (KJV). Paul acknowledges the genuine mission here. The Philippians would receive rewards for their work. Paul knew the rewards (crowns) that the genuine believer would receive for the work we pursue in Christ’s name. He didn’t care for himself just for them as he expressed their faithfulness to the cause of Christ. There five such crowns mentioned in Scripture. The first crown is called the incorruptible crown in. Cr 9:24-25 This is a crown …

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Joined to the Lord

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Reflections   But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (I Cor. 6:7)       This verse tells us HOW Jesus Christ dwells in us: He joins our human spirit to Himself – to His Spirit. This is CHRIST IN US. The word translated, “joined,” could be translated, “glued,” or, “cemented.” We are ONE with Jesus Christ through the union of our human spirit with His Spirit. This agrees with the pictures that God gives us of our spiritual union with Christ – baptized INTO Christ; baptized INTO the name of Christ; crucified WITH Christ; planted …

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When God is Silent

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By David A. DePra One of the most difficult seasons in the life of a Christian is when God seems SILENT. And the fact is, those seasons when God seems silent are usually when we think we need Him to speak the most. God is usually silent to us when we are in a trial. Indeed, I have found that the silence of God, and my inability to understand Him can, in itself, become a greater trial than any circumstances. Actually, what I am describing is THE TRIAL OF FAITH. A trial of faith, when everything is said and done, …

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Putin just made a major change to Russian law enforcement

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    Russian President Vladimir Putin has just carried out a major reshuffling of the country’s law enforcement in attempts to take an even stronger grasp of the country, the Financial Times reports. In a sudden reshuffle, Putin has dismissed eight senior law enforcement officials while promoting 12 others who are viewed as Putin loyalists. The reshuffle was first announced on the presidential website on Saturday as an official decree. Among those promoted in the reshuffle, the FT notes, are Alexei Kudrin, who has been a longtime Putin confidant, as well as Igor Krasnov, an investigator into the death of opposition …

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18 The Sufficiency of Christ Part 1

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Christ’s sufficiency It is very import that we realize the importance of this doctrine. If we have a godly perspective on life and have eternity as our goal the things both good and bad in this life must be viewed as transitory and just short lived. By trusting in God for all our needs and remedies we will develop the genuine contentment the Bible teaches. This is not a natural fleshly response to our interaction with life’s incidents and conditions. It is learned through drawing on the Spirit for comfort and guidance. Remember that one of the Fruits of the …

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