The “body of Christ” refers to Jesus plus his faithful followers. We want to be integrated into the body, so that what we work on in our own individual growth experiences can positively relate to the other body members. The simple fact is we [...]
Here is a foundation principle in receiving divine favor from God: It begins with an active faith that believes in the existence of God, and also believes in His active love to reward those who sincerely seek Him. Hebrews 11:6: “Now without faith it is [...]
Ephesians 4:7: “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”This verse, as with most, is best understood in context. Writing from prison, the Apostle Paul is exhorting his dearly beloved brethren to “walk,” that [...]
A divine encounter should not be expected or wished for, as it is never promised to the Christian. We are to follow by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).Colossians 2:18, (CEV) “Don’t be cheated by people who make a show of acting humble [...]
Why would a perfect God create the system of heaven and hell? The Christian view of an afterlife allows for some "good" people to eternally suffer while some "bad" people can live in paradise. Furthermore, how would it be moral for any person (regardless [...]
Matthew 6:3 is part of a much larger sermon, spanning Matthew chapters 5, 6 and 7 that Jesus delivered to his disciples (see Matthew 5:1 for the start of the sermon). In these words, Jesus taught many lessons on the types of behaviors that are [...]
We quote from a sermon by Robert Bennett called "Seven Churches:"In the first three chapters of Revelation, there are seven churches named after seven cities in Asia Minor, “seven” being a symbol of completeness. A list of those seven churches is given in Revelation 1:11.We [...]
There are so many wonderful lessons in the account of David's entire life, including the encounter with Goliath. We invite you to listen and watch the Additional Resources below to fill in many scriptural details introduced in this answer. Consider using an easy-to-read translation and [...]
Reading 1 Peter 5:1-5 in the New Living Translation might be of help:5 And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share in [...]
To properly understand the book of Revelation, one must first recognize that the book largely covers the Christian dispensation. The prophecies begin shortly after the first advent of Christ and trace the history of the Christian or “Gospel Age.” From this standpoint, the sequence [...]
Matthew 10:16: "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."This statement by Jesus is in the context of sending the apostles out to preach the gospel message. He forewarned them [...]
Praying for others is important. Jesus said, “Love your enemies, and pray for them that persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). This means we should forgive others who sin against us personally. An example of this was when Stephen was being stoned to death. He prayed for [...]
There is a difference between "loving the world" in a positive sense and "loving the world" in a negative sense.Let's look at John 3:16 in how "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son..." Revelation 13:8 tells us Jesus was [...]
Salvation became necessary for all people because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience to God’s command (Genesis 3:17-19). Disobedience to God is sin, and sin leads to death (Romans 6:23). Through the sacrifice of his perfect life, Jesus provided a corresponding price for Adam’s disobedience [...]
The holy spirit has been misunderstood by many Christians who believe it to be a person, a third being equal in power and glory to God. But this is not scriptural. A careful study of the Bible shows the holy spirit is the power [...]
There are many religions in the world, and not all of them follow God or recognize Jesus as the only means of salvation. One who practices a particular religion understands the basic teachings of the religion, and makes some attempt to follow those practices [...]
For Christians, an appropriate definition of being “spiritually minded” is devoting, or consecrating, one’s life to developing and possessing a mindset that prioritizes God and His word first in one’s life. Our lives are finite, so devotion to a single pursuit will of necessity come at [...]
Scientists admit they know very, very little about how the brain works. Such a complicated, intricate design could only be the work of an Intelligent Creator. Clearly, we are not an "accidental" or evolved creation but are here by extremely special and unique design.We [...]
There are several names and descriptions given to God, especially in the Old Testament. Each of them gives us a different way to grasp the Almighty’s character. Unfortunately, the Hebrew words that give such insight into the names is hidden when translators simply use [...]
Since God is a spirit being, we don’t really know, because humans cannot see spirit beings. There were times in the Bible when spirit beings created a human-like body to communicate with people. But what the people saw was a temporary human image, not [...]
