3 Ways to Examine Our and Others’ Faith
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
The Joy of Christmas – How Can I Have It?
“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
The Entire God Inspired Book
"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
All 66 books, the entire canon of scripture, Genesis to Revelation is the Word of God. Not just the sections in red where Jesus spoke in the New Testament, not just the miracles or the joyfulness, but the ENTIRE word of God.
Only Believe
Salvation is obtained through complete belief and faith in Jesus Christ alone, the God of the Bible; and what HE did for ALL humanity. Not baptism, not works, no physical acts, sacrifice, just being a good person, or anything that we humans can do to provide OURSELVES a seat in heaven; the sole requirement is pure and total faith in God and HIS sacrifice for mankind; accepting God into your heart.
Music In Worship
If you have ever set foot inside a church, you will have encountered people who are undecided about the role of music in the worship life of the family of God. To avoid silly arguments, it is best to look at the bible rather than people's personal taste. The bible does not give us specific guidelines about songs and genres of music. What it does give us, however, are principles regarding the holiness of God, and the nature of worship, and if we believe that the bible is the inspired word of God, we are to cling to those principles.
Living With Temptation
Is it a sin to be tempted? No:
“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)
Jesus Christ was without sin, and yet He was tempted just like us. Hebrews says there is a difference between temptation and sin.
How much of my income should I give to God?
Recently I was asked by someone not from our church, “How much of my income should I give to God?”
This is a wonderful question - and by the way, it is the right question to ask. It also demonstrates spiritual growth and a heart to please and honour the Lord.
I did my best to address their "tithing" question with the following comments:
Grace & The Holy Spirit
An analysis of the relationship between grace and the Holy Spirit. It does this by showing the works of grace under two categories of grace, Chesed and Chen, and describing the role of the Holy Spirit in those works. The significance of the Spirit of God of the Old Testament being the Holy Spirit of the New Testament is then presented. The theological gain of this recognition is demonstrated.
Addressing Free Grace
Recently, one young woman wrote to me thus: “Hey Andrew! Can I grab your wisdom on something?
What are your thoughts on Free Grace theology?”
Here is my response:
Selfishness
The only thing necessary to change heaven into hell -- if God were to allow it -- is selfishness. Selfishness is mankind's fundamental defect. Selfish means: self-centred, self-serving, self-important. At the root of every problem is selfishness.