Bringing Scripture to Life

I was recently asked the following question;  Do other "gods" answer prayers too? The reason I ask, is because I personally know people from different faiths who are convinced that they have had their prayers answered by the god whom they worship. This makes it difficult for me to make a case for Jesus in front of them, because they are being delivered from their difficulties without Jesus' help. This is a great question, and a scenario that many of us will have to face at some point in time, if we are to be faithful in sharing the gospel with others. A central truth found throughout all of Scripture is that there is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4). In fact, this is the first of all the commandments. Meaning, when we approach the Bible in an attempt to know God, the very first thing He reveals about Himself to us, is that there are no other gods but Him. When speaking through His prophet Isaiah, the Lord says, “I am the LORD, and there is no other; ther...

Did John sin when he worshipped an Angel in heaven? If John was "in the Spirit" (Revelation 4:2), how could he still sin? Does this mean we can still sin when we get to heaven also? That is a great question, and fortunately for us, the answer is “no”, it is not suggesting we can still sin in heaven. Being “in the Spirit” does not mean John (Revelation 1:13, 4:2), or we (Galatians 5:16), are in our perfected, glorified bodies, or that we are incapable of sinning. The Bible tells us that until we receive our glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51-57), we still have our flesh to contend with, and the bible tells us that these two (flesh and Spirit) will be at war with one another (Galatians 5:17), until we are glorified (Philippians 3:20-21). When discussing John worshipping an angel in heaven, there is something that is very important for us to remember when trying to understand this apparent dilemma that we find him in. We must remember that he did not phys...

The Most Beautiful Piece of Real Estate in all of Creation! We know that heaven is not only the MOST BEAUTIFUL piece of Real Estate in the entire Universe, but it is also the final destination for those who place their trust in Jesus as Savior (John 3:16), and follow Him as Lord (John 10:27-29). We know that in heaven we will see God face to face (Revelation 21:3; Job 19:25-26). We know that in heaven God will wipe away every tear from our eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away (Revelation 21:4). We know that in heaven God is "making all things new" (Revelation 21:5), including a New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:10). The Bible says the New Jerusalem will have a,  "radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It has a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the son...

Because the Book of Revelation says believers will "reign with Christ" (Revelation 20:4, 6; 22:5), a person recently asked if that meant Angels will worship us in Heaven. Will Angels Worship us in Heaven? One of the central truths of Scripture is that we are to worship only God (Exodus 20:5). When Satan tried to tempt Jesus to worship him, Jesus replied, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve’” (Matthew 4:10). Satan was kicked out of heaven because he tried to exalt himself above God, by seeking worship from others (Isaiah 14:12-16). In the book of Acts, we know that Herod was struck dead for receiving worship as a god (Acts 12:22-23). After being used by God to heal a crippled man (Acts 14:8-10), the people of Lystra attempted to worship Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:11-13), to which Paul and Barnabas were adamantly against (Acts 14:14), exhorting them to worship only God (Acts 14:15). Ove...

Dealing with the Remarriage Dilemma This is a difficult topic to write about due to the fact that there are so many unique scenarios to consider, and because the journey that brought each person to this situation in life varies tremendously. We all know  some amazing and godly people who find themselves in this situation. They have been divorced, and now find themselves remarried. Some of them are within the permissive boundaries of God’s word for remarriage, and yet, we also know that some of them are not. It is definitely a delicate subject to teach on, due to the fact that there is nothing more personal, intimate, and sacred in life, than one’s marriage. And therefore, to suggest that someone’s marriage is outside of God’s best for their lives, or even worse, an act of adultery, can be a crushing blow to one’s emotional and spiritual state of being. I have to be honest with you, knowing that there will be a high percentage of married people who read this art...

Can a Christian who is Divorced remarry if the person they were divorced from was a non-Christian? Yes. Paul explicitly says in 1 Corinthians 7:28-29: “Are you bound [married] to a wife? Do not seek to be released [divorced]. Are you released [previously been divorced] from a wife? Do not seek [to be married to] a wife. But if you marry, you have not sinned ; and if a virgin [one who has never before been married] marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you.” The Bible is telling us here that if a Christian has been divorced before from a non-Christian (1 Corinthians 7:15), they are free to remarry, as long as it is to a Christian (1 Corinthians 7:39). This would also apply to non-Christians who have been divorced prior to becoming a Christian, and seeking to be married in the Lord. The Bible says, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all ...

Jesus, the Son of God is coming on February 28th, 2014!  Okay, I am not predicting the Second Coming. It is a new motion picture by Mark Burnett and Roma Downey, and  I am looking forward to seeing this one. This up-and-coming motion picture, titled, The Son of God, is the latest effort by producers Mark Burnett (Survivor) and Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel). The Son of God is coming to theaters February 28th, 2014.  This movie is said to be the most evangelistic movie of this generation and provides an incredible opportunity to reach people for Jesus. It will force all who watch it to answer Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" "The Passion of the Christ  moved people to experience the death of Jesus, Son of God  allows people to see the entire ministry of Jesus, to feel like a disciple and experience Jesus' love and grace." - Outreach Be praying for those God would want you to invite to watch this powerfully epic movie ...

I was recently asked by someone if demons die. Specifically, " When Jesus cast the demons in the swine & the swine went into the sea, did the demons die?" I think this is a great question, and one that the Bible clearly addresses for us. Demons are actually fallen angels (Revelation 12:7-9), who were created by God (Colossians 1:16; John 1:3) as spiritual beings (Ephesians 6:12; Hebrews 1:14) and therefore are not subject to death, at least in earthly terms. It might be helpful to remember that before the particular demons in question possessed the pigs, they possessed the man from Gadarene (Mark 5:7-9). When Jesus came near, they confronted Him and asked if He was there to “torment” them before the time (Matthew 8:29). After this they begged and pleaded for Jesus not to send them out of that particular “country” (Mark 5:10), or into “the abyss” (Luke 8:35), but into the herd of swine (Mark 5:12). Jesus consented (Matthew 8:32), and they went into the...

I was recently asked, "How did sin bring disease into the world?" My answer was, when sin entered the world, it came with an enormous cost, death. Because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience towards God, the death penalty was placed upon all of us. The Bible tells us, “Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans 5:12).   When God pronounced the death penalty on humanity (Gen. 3:19), He also “cursed” the ground (Gen. 3:17). It is important to note, that the Hebrew word for ground can better be translated as “earth.” 1 In his book, The Genesis Record, Henry M. Morris says, the effects of God “cursing” the earth was that, “The basic material of the physical creation . . . the elements themselves, the “dust of the earth,” out of which all things had been made, were brought under the bondage of decay and disintegration.” 2 Therefore, it is very possible that du...

In his book, The Making of a Leader, Dr. J. Robert Clinton says, “The central task of leadership is influencing God’s people toward God’s purposes.” 1   Therefore, it can also be said that the central task of a leader is to effectively influence others towards kingdom thinking, living, and building. In order for a leader to effectively accomplish this, it is essential that they have a well-designed philosophy of ministry. A philosophy of ministry is necessary for anyone who is called to lead God’s people into worshipping God, strengthening the body, and doing kingdom work within the world. A philosophy of ministry that is well thought out will be one that expresses clear vision, as well as methods to accomplish that vision. In their book, Spiritual Leadership, Henry and Richard Blackaby declare, “Given the opportunity, people gravitate to what gives them meaning, to what engages to the fullest their commitment, talent, energy, and skill.” 2  This is the goal o...

I was recently asked if  the curse in Revelation 22:18-19 was written for that book, and if so, does this mean the curse only applies to the Book of Revelation? The curse (or  plague  “plēgas") that is spoken about in Revelation 22:18-19, is specifically referring to the Book of Revelation, and is a clear warning to anyone who would seek to add to, or take away from the biblical text that is contained within this particular book of the Bible. When seeking to have a clear understanding of this passage, it is important to remember that the plague of Revelation 22:18-19 is not some mystic or unique form of punishment for those who do find themselves traveling upon this dangerous road that leads to destruction. The Book of Revelation is a prophetic utterance of what will take place at the end of world history, when God unleashes His wrath, and the King of kings returns, and destroys all who oppose Him (Revelation 19:11-21). The ultimate ending, and wors...