Bringing Scripture to Life

What does the Bible say about the Great Commission?  The Bible says that the primary focus of the Christian church is to proclaim the good news that Jesus Christ has come to rescue us (John 3:16). For those who turn to Jesus for salvation, the church is called to invest in them so that they too become fruitful followers themselves, and in turn these new believers are to repeat the process of reaching the lost and help those that are reached become disciples as well (Matthew 28:18-20).

What does the Bible say about Christian Victory? The Bible says that every believer who devotes themselves to following Jesus can experience spiritual victory in their life (1 Corinthians 15:55). Jesus promises us that by following Him we will be set free from sin (John 8:31-32), and experience an abundant life with Him (John 10:10). As children of God, the Bible tells us that we are overcomers and more than conquerors (Romans 8:37),  and God will always lead us in triumph through Him (2 Cor. 2:14). We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13), and when we abide in Christ we are given the ability to walk in spiritual victory  (1 John 3:1-3, 6-7),  by being imitators of God as His dear children (Ephesians 5:1). Christian victory does not mean Christian perfection. Our sanctification is a life-long process that God will be faithful to complete at the return of Christ (Philippians 1:6).  We are called to "work ...

1. JESUS LOVES YOU!  Jesus doesn't express His love for you, nor how pleased He is with you by how big your church becomes. He expressed His love for you on the cross, and continually displays His love for you by abiding in you and with you throughout your life (John 15:9-11; Romans 8:39). 2. JESUS WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU! (Matthew 28:20)  During one of my darkest and loneliest times in ministry, I awoke one morning with the weight of the world on my shoulders, uncertainty filled my heart, and pressure was pressing in on every side. In that moment God calmed my spirit with His loving, encouraging, still small voice by saying, "I am with you. I have not forgotten about you. I will lead you through this" (cf. Isaiah 41:10) 3. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH WISE COUNSELORS  (Proverbs 11:14, 15:22).  A wise friend once told me this when I was in the midst of a struggling church plant. "Did you think it would be easy and all uphill? What you are experiencing is not un...

Nicolas Cage and Ashley Tisdale will star in the upcoming remake of the  Left Behind  Movie by Stoney Lake Entertainment and Paul Lalonde, producer and distributor of the original  Left Behind  series. LaLonde believes that this movie deserves "blockbuster" treatment. He told The Christian Post ; "... I've spent 24 years producing Christian-themed TV, films and documentaries that were made specifically for a Christian audience," wrote LaLonde in an email. "Preaching to the choir so to speak. It has always been my goal to produce a big-budget version of  Left Behind  that would appeal to a wider audience. The resources to do this exist now where they didn't back in 2000." The film is scheduled for release in 2014. RELATED POSTS: Are you ready for the end of the world? What are you living for today?

TOP 10 QUOTES FROM Well-Intentioned Dragons 1. "Qualifications of a pastor: the mind of a scholar, the heart of a child, and the hide of a rhinoceros" (Quote by Stuart Briscoe, p.35) 2. "If the first casualties in dragon warfare are vision and initiative, the next victim is outreach. When a pastor is forced to worry more about putting out brush fires than igniting the church's flame, the dragons have won, and the ministry has lost." p.42 3. “Pastors who personify a nondefensive spirit of joy and generosity tend not to attract as many dragons. And when they are attacked, the majority of the congregation begins to notice something amiss. When the fruit of the Spirit becomes characteristic of the church’s daily life, it becomes painfully clear whenever one person violates that spirit, and the body itself will work to take care of the irritation.” (P.85) 4. “Like any army, those on the front lines don’t have time to complain. Griping is th...

"To those scorched by dragons but not reduced to ashes nor hardened beyond feeling, who in the face of beastliness maintain their humanity and divine calling, this book is dedicated." These are the men and women that Marshall Shelley, executive editor of Leadership Journal wrote this book for.  In the introduction the author states, "This is a book about ministering while under attack. It was prepared after interviews with dozens of pastors who candidly described the difficult people they have faced" (page 13). I read Well-Intentioned Dragons  awhile back and it was a sobering reminder to me that sometimes God's sheep can become Rogue Sheep, and take on the form of "well-intentioned dragons." I have been in pastoral ministry for over 10 years now, and I have come across each of the dragons mentioned within the pages of this book, and have the lasting scars from within to prove it. In chapter two of this book, Identifying a Dragon , the auth...

What does the Bible say about Christian Growth? The Bible says that every believer should be in a growing relationship with Jesus (Philippians 2:1-5), which can best be evidenced through the inward transformation that takes place within our hearts and minds (Galatians 5:22-23), and leads to the outward demonstration of putting God first in our lives (Romans 12:1-2). Our faith should lead us to grow in our love for God (Matthew 22:37), grow in our love for one another (John 13:34-35), and inspire us to reach out to the world for Jesus in obedience to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). This is an important process and journey for every believer if we want to be salt to the earth and lights in this world (Matthew 5:13-16). RELATED ARTICLES The Process of Sanctification

Sanctification is a Greek word that means to be “holy” or “separate”. Everyone who responds to God by placing their faith in Jesus Christ begins an immediate sanctification process. This process has three aspects to it. 1. Positional Sanctification This is the position of those who are saved. Positional Sanctification is just as complete for the weakest and youngest believer as it is for the strongest and oldest believer. It depends only upon one’s union with and position “in Christ.” 2. Progressive Sanctification This sanctification is called “progressive” or “experiential” sanctification, and is the work of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life that brings him closer to the likeness of Jesus Christ through obedience to the Word of God. 3. Permanent Sanctification Permanent Sanctification   takes place in the life to come. As believers we will be permanently sanctified by God in the life to come when we receive ou...

What does the Bible say about the Sacraments?   The Bible says that Jesus gave His church two ordinances that we are commanded to observe until His return. They are Baptism (Matthew 28:19-20) and the Lord's Supper (Lk 22:14-20; 1 Cor 11:23-26). These ordinances are sacred rituals that have been practiced throughout the history of the Orthodox Christian faith, by those who trust in Jesus alone for their salvation. Baptism is an act of obedience, where the believer is to be immersed under water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19-20). This act symbolizes the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior; as well as the believers own symbolic death to sin, burial of the old life, and resurrection to walk in the newness of life in Jesus (Romans 6:3-5). The Lord’s Supper is also a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the Body of Christ, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the ...

What does the Bible say about Church Government?  The Bible says that Jesus  is the Head of the church (Eph. 1:9, 22–23; 4:15; 5:23), the one who builds the church (Matt. 16:18), and the Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4) who ultimately leads and protects His flock (John 10:1-29). As the Chief Shepherd of the church, Jesus has called certain men to be “overseers” (Acts 20:28), who are the under-shepherds of Jesus to the flock (1 Peter 5:2), and are responsible in feeding, tending, protecting, and keeping watch over the sheep on behalf of the Chief Shepherd (John 21:15-17; Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:17). The Bible informs us that the official church title given to these shepherds who oversee the sheep is “elder”. The Bible indicates that there is supposed to be a plurality of godly elders operating in their particular giftedness who are “appointed at every church” (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Philippians 1:1), and who meet the biblical qualifications for the office (1 Timoth...

1.  Administration (1 Cor. 12:28) The gift of Administration is given by God to certain individuals in order to steer the body toward remaining on task. Believers with this gift greatly assists the body to organize according to God-given purposes and long-term goals (1 Cor. 12:28). 2.  Apostle (Eph. 4:11; 1 Cor. 12:28) The gift of Apostleship is given by God to certain individuals in order to be sent out from the local church in order to plant new churches and/or be missionaries. Apostles inspire and motivate the Body of Christ to keep their eyes upon the Great Commission. 3.  Discernment (1 Cor. 12:10) The gift of Discernment is given by God to certain individuals in order to aid the body in recognizing true and false doctrine (Hebrews 5:12-14), and the true intentions of those within or related to the body of Christ. Discernment tests the message and actions of others in order to protect the spiritual health of the church (1 Cor. 12:...

In order to metaphorically describe what the nature of the church’s relationship to God resembles, we will be exploring the subject of the Priesthood of Believers. For us to accurately approach this teaching about the Priesthood of Believers, it is important to first have a basic understanding of what a priest is. William Vine explains that a priest in the Old Testament was “an authorized minister of deity who officiates at the altar and in other cultic rites. A priest performs sacrificial, ritualistic, and mediatorial duties; he represents the people before God” (Vines, 188), and God before the people. It was the priests’ duty to lead the people into the worship of YHWH. The first time we read about a priest of God in the Bible, is when Melchizedek the “Priest of God Most High,” comes to Abraham in order to bless him on behalf of God (Genesis 14:18-19), and also to bless God Himself (Genesis 14:20). This would have to be the overarching theme of the priesthood, to be a ...

What does the Bible say about the Church?   The Bible says that the true Church is composed of all such persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and repentance towards God (Acts 2:38), have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:4-6), and are united together in the Body of Christ of which He is the Head (Ephesians 4:15-16). The true basis of Christian fellowship is His Love for us (John 15:13), and our love for one another (John 13:34-35), which is greater than any differences we possess (Ephesians 4:3). Each member of the Body of Christ is called to be active members within the church (1 Corinthians 12:7, 27). The Bible describes all Christians as a part of the priesthood of believers (1 Peter 2:9). As such all believers are called to "present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1). RELATED ARTICLES Church Government Priesthood of Believers Sacraments of the Church

What does the Bible say about Grace?   The Bible says that Grace is a gift from God that no one can earn by their own good actions (Ephesians 2:8-9). The key to activating God's grace in one's life is through faith in Jesus (Titus 2:11-14),  when they believe the gospel (John 3:16; Romans 10:9-10). Grace is defined as “God`s unmerited favor”. Unmerited means “not deserved” as opposed to merited meaning “the quality of being particularly good or worthy”. Therefore, this gracious act of God in saving those who believe in Jesus removes any and all boasting on man’s behalf. No one will be able to say, “I earned God’s favor by being a good person” (cf. Ephesians 2:8-9). Furthermore it is the grace of God that inspires the believer to do the good works that God has created us for (cf. Ephesians 2:10), so that God will be glorified in our lives (Colossians 3:17).