Christianity
Christianity
Photograph of the Week: Ron DiCianni's 'Resurrection Mural' (Video)
Mar 31, 2013 - 12:02:07 AM
Christianity
Rev. Johnson's Overview of Isaiah Chs 36-39 Historical Interlude
The Biblical Record as it stands - and as it appears in these chapters from the book of Isaiah, within the order of historical events as are known to us, appears to be a fusion of different events (Mr. BenDedek suggests Sargon's Ashdod Campaign 714BCE - 712 BCE and Sennacherib's invasion of Jerusalem 701 BCE). I make no statement on the accuracy or otherwise of Mr. BenDedek's chronological thesis, but do think that his work at this point in history is noteworthy, and I have his permission to quote from some of it.
Aug 26, 2012 - 1:10:52 AM
Christianity
Rev. Johnson's Overview of Isaiah Chs 32-35
Today's text comes from Isaiah Chapter 32 through 35 which is actually a continuation of the preceding chapters and may be described as the prophetic promise of punishment, restoration and exaltation of the Lord on High. In as much as the prophetic word was originally given in relation to the various exiles 722BC (Israel) and 586 BC (Judah) they find fulfillment in the restoration of the temple under Ezra and Nehemiah, but we know that the temple was again destroyed by the Romans in the 1st century of our Lord and the people of Israel were once again scattered throughout the world, not being returned until 1948 AD.
Aug 19, 2012 - 12:10:42 AM
Christianity
Rev. Johnson's Overview of Isaiah Chs 28-31
These same people also find many reasons to discount the prophecies of Ezekiel and the Apostle John (Book of Revelations) and yet today we find ourselves living in an age prophesied by both. 'Global Governance', the euphemism for 'One World Government' is at our door. The 'Whore of Babylon' (Revelations Chapter 17) can be seen rising in the world financial and political system which seeks to destroy the Christian Faith and cause individual Nation States to lose their independence through submission to the United Nations. The 'Mark of the Beast' without which men can neither buy nor sell is partially in place already (from credit cards and debit cards to implanted computer biochips), and the restoration of Israel is already an established fact thus paving the way for the Battle of Armageddon.
Aug 12, 2012 - 7:10:25 AM
Christianity
M Wallace Johnson Overview of Isaiah Chs. 23-27
Israel - the Kingdom of Judah - went into exile in Babylon in 586 BCE. Their exile was brief - only 70 years, but later after the Death of Jesus of Nazareth, the Romans destroyed the Temple and scattered the people abroad. Today, 2000 years later they are back and once again their traditional enemies seek their destruction. When foreign nations have dealings with the Nation of Israel they need to be very mindful of who it is that watches over Israel and very careful to abide by any covenant they make with Israel. Israel is a peculiar nation whose very existence speaks to the reality of God in History.
Aug 5, 2012 - 12:15:18 AM
Christianity
Overview of Isaiah Chs 15-22 by M. Wallace Johnson
For the most part however these chapters concern countries which still today afflict Israel - Moab (Jordan), Syria, Ethiopia/Egypt, Assyria (Iraq) and Babylon (Iran). The difference between then and now is that in the days of these prophecies, these nations were tools of judgment that God used against his faithless people whereas today Israel has just been reborn - regathered from all the nations of the earth unto which God had scattered them.
Jul 29, 2012 - 12:13:32 AM
Christianity
M Wallace Johnson Overview of Isaiah Chaps 10-14
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God - Many there are who do not believe in the Scriptures, but it surely cannot escape anyone's attention, that the principle nations named in the Bible, still exist. Israel has returned, and once again she is the focus of the Battle between God and his enemies.
Jul 22, 2012 - 2:10:13 AM
Christianity
Overview of Isaiah Chs 6 to 9 by M. Wallace Johnson
The ancient and honourable, he is the head; and the prophet that teacheth lies, he is the tail. For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed. -- God himself may not specifically 'Speak Judgment' against any particular nation in existence today, but every nation that does not have leadership that leads with righteousness is at risk of the natural consequences that befall a society that cares for nobody.
Jul 15, 2012 - 1:13:51 AM
Christianity
Who were the Prophets and what did they say. Isaiah Chapters 2-5
Verse 20 holds a real warning for us today when it says: Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! This verse has a companion in Romans Chapter 1 verse 25. The root cause of both the sin and God's judgment is revealed in verse 24 - "because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel".
Jul 8, 2012 - 12:07:31 AM
Christianity
Who were the Prophets and what did they say? No 4: Introducing Isaiah
These four prophets prophesied at the same approximate time for the same reasons. As we have seen in the first three, so we shall see in the prophet Isaiah. God's judgments are true and righteous altogether, but man quite often pays lip service to the ways of the Lord. As it was 2700 years ago, so it is now. Unless the people of God (the people God has chosen - not the people who have chosen God) pay close attention to their behavior, chastisement must come, and if the religious and secular leaders do not take care to do justly, then the nation itself will fall. We should beware.
Jul 1, 2012 - 9:25:28 PM
Christianity
Who were the Prophets and what did they say? No 3: Micah
The message in the books of Isaiah, Amos, Hosea and Micah are almost identical. Secular and religious leaders and those with the power that comes from wealth neither paid attention to doing what was right in the eyes of God nor treated the common man with decency and dignity. When leadership fails to set the right example for society, that society crumbles
Jun 24, 2012 - 11:47:10 AM
Christianity
Who were the Prophets and what did they say? No 2: Hosea
The primary focus of God's judgment is on religious and secular leadership who willfully ignore God and deliberately abuse those under their control. Possibly the most important message in this book is that true worship and true duty is found in the heart and not in the outward form and ritual. "For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings" (Hosea 6:6).
Jun 17, 2012 - 12:27:23 AM
Christianity
Who were the Prophets and what did they say? No 1: Amos
An Overview of the Prophet Amos during the reign of King Uzziah, prior to Assyrian incursions into Syria, Israel and Judah. The prophecies take place about 35-40 years prior to the destruction of the Northern Kingdom Israel and the exile of its people, and less than 200 years before King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon took the Southern Kingdom of Judah into exile in Babylon and destroyed King Solomon's Temple.
Jun 10, 2012 - 12:40:31 AM
Christianity
Bishops Prepare for Largest Civil Disobedience Since the 60s
The United States Catholic bishops are readying American Catholics for what may be the largest campaign of civil disobedience since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's.
Jun 6, 2012 - 5:40:24 AM
Christianity
Idols in Ministry No 8: The 'Bible'
When we listen to people quoting Scripture - chapter and verse - at the drop of the hat, we can be forgiven for thinking that such people 'know God'. The reality might just be that they 'just know the Scriptures' - the written word of God as opposed to the 'Living Word of God'.
Jun 3, 2012 - 7:23:23 AM
Christianity
Idols in Ministry No 7: Secret Wisdom
Our commission is not to scare the wits out of simple souls, and nor is it to enter into academic arguments with the intellectually superior. Our commission is to spread the good news of the Work, the Grace, and the Salvation freely provided us through the love of God. People who constantly preach on or teach the 'End Times' (Armageddon - the rapture - the millennial reign of Christ), particularly those doing so in a prophetic way having allegedly calculated the timing of the events, are acting in direct contradiction to the will of God.
May 27, 2012 - 12:10:49 AM
Christianity
Idols in Ministry No 6: The Devil
There are many good God fearing Christians in the world who have without realizing it, taken their eyes off God, and focused them squarely on the Devil and while they may never consider it to be so, they have in reality raised him to a greater height, a greater prominence and with greater power than God himself.
May 20, 2012 - 12:13:00 AM
Christianity
Idols in Ministry No 5. Reputation
Very quickly they built up a huge following and the original church building capable of sitting 300 people, was insufficient to meet the needs of the Sunday Services. After quite some time of holding meetings in a large auditorium, The Baptist Minister and his Presbyterian assistant 'split' from their new found denomination and set up their own church.
May 13, 2012 - 4:10:45 AM
Christianity
Idols in Ministry No 4. Doctrine
Can doctrine be considered to be an idol? Probably not but when one considers how various people treat 'their' doctrines, it really is not that difficult to see doctine as an idol. Put another way, when people make Salvation dependent upon theology, Salvation by faith through the grace of God is nullified, and replaced with a 'Salvation through theology'.
May 6, 2012 - 12:30:45 AM
Christianity
Idols in Ministry No 3. Religious Rituals
And therein lays the problem with rules, regulations and rituals. When our rituals and practices lock out the grace and Spirit of Christ, we have the form of religion, but not the purpose. We have in fact, made an idol of them. Jesus himself would be locked out from communion with us, if he did not fulfill our ritualistic practices.
Apr 29, 2012 - 12:40:53 AM
Christianity
Idols in Ministry No. 2 'Them and Us''
The underlying reason for their belief is that 'THEY and their beliefs' are the only receptacles of 'TRUTH'; the true inheritors of the promises of God; the chosen people, the one true church. To put it bluntly, 'they idolize themselves and their beliefs'.
Apr 22, 2012 - 3:33:48 AM
Christianity
Idols in Ministry No 1: The Counselor
For many people, repenting of an act or behavior is not hard to do. The hard thing is to deal with the after effects in the mind and heart. We can put that into more modern language and say that the ongoing psychological effects of past causes, makes the joy of our salvation not so sweet. Then again there are the physical consequences of past behavior. (Damage from alcoholism, broken relationships from disintegrated marriages, criminal histories that haunt us to name just a few.)
Apr 15, 2012 - 12:15:30 AM
Christianity
Holy, Wholly or Holey? Idolatry
With
Scripture as our guide it ought to be an easy task to keep ourselves
from idols, but while it is very easy to see the many false gods of this
materialistic and hedonistic age, it is often almost impossible for us
to realize that sometimes, the god we worship, is not God the Lord, but
an idol living in our own hearts and minds.
Apr 8, 2012 - 5:07:00 AM
Christianity
Holy, Wholly or Holey? Tithing
The 'prosperity Gospel' which dictates that God will financially bless
faithful Christians, requires us to believe that less fortunate
Christians must be in sin. This is clearly not taught in Scripture.
Apr 1, 2012 - 6:10:35 AM
Christianity
Holy, Wholly or Holey? Homosexuality
When we preach to the assembled congregation, is it not a time of
teaching and edification; of prayer and worship? What part then does the
preaching against what is acceptable to the non-saved play in our
services?
Mar 25, 2012 - 5:48:01 AM
Christianity
Holy, Wholly or Holey? Righteousness
If this story can be said to be one of compassion, said compassion is
found in his casual dismissal of the woman. But realistically, this
story is actually about self-righteous religious people, who in the
first instance hypocritically pass judgement on others, and in the
second, seek to do damage to true servants of God.
Mar 18, 2012 - 12:10:11 AM
Christianity
Holy, Wholly or Holey? Self-Identity
There are many whose profession is of Christ - 'I'm washed in the blood of the Lamb brother!' And no doubt they are. But that 'point of conversion' called 'Salvation' is just the beginning.
Mar 11, 2012 - 1:15:02 AM
Christianity
Holy, Wholly or Holey? Prayer and Fasting
There are many who 'do'
all the right things in their quest to become holy or close to God, but
only God knows what is really in their hearts, for as is recorded in
Ezekiel 33: 31-32
Mar 4, 2012 - 7:07:06 AM
Christianity
Holy, Wholly or Holey? Gifts of God
Would Jeremiah have accepted his calling had he known that he would witness
the destruction of his country's people, priests, nobles and King?
Feb 26, 2012 - 5:17:29 AM
Christianity
Holy, Wholly or Holey? - Moses!
God called Moses from before he was born, and in delivering him from
certain death, sent him to be raised and educated a Prince. In return,
Moses committed murder, hid the body of his victim, and fled the
judicial process.
Feb 19, 2012 - 12:42:56 AM
Christianity
Haiti for Life
Global B2B Communications Sponsors Holiday Appeal for Haiti on Behalf of Lead "Creative Videographers' Eyes" Blogger Todd Pierson
Dec 23, 2011 - 6:25:53 AM
Christianity
Photo of the Day: Repent Ye Sinners!
Oct 14, 2011 - 12:02:39 AM
Christianity
Does It Really Matter Who Wrote the Pentateuch?
We do not consider it a necessity to know whom God inspired to write the book of Job or the epistle of Hebrews. We do not draw lines of fellowship over who wrote 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles. Why, then, should the discussion of who penned the first five books of the Bible be any different? The difference is that the Bible is replete with references attributing these books to Moses.
Oct 9, 2011 - 12:07:36 AM
Christianity
Biblical Wisdom Still Relevant
Solomon's statement speaks to the fact that in many cases, it is the emotional and spiritual attitude of an individual that sustains his or her physical existence as much or more than physical factors. On March 28, 2006, a brief article on loneliness provided some excellent modern scientific documentation for Solomon's sentiments.
Sep 28, 2011 - 8:50:18 AM
Christianity
Mockers of the Bible
There are many ways to mock and defame those people who believe in God and the Bible. One very common way is such a kind of in which people mix up all commands of the Old Covenant to the New Covenant.
Sep 3, 2011 - 7:20:14 AM
Christianity
Galvanizing Followers and Leaders in Organizations by Dr. Tony Keys
Transformational leadership is the ability to bring together leaders and followers in agreement and relationship, empowering them to create an intended real transformational change. This is seen so magnificently in the leadership of Deborah, someone in that relationship who had a heart for the people. What most of us fail to realize is the far-reaching consequences of this agreement. Deborah's heart for the people not only galvanized a relationship and an agreement between herself and Barak but it also galvanized a relationship and an agreement between the followers and leaders of Israel to create an intended real transformational change.
Jul 31, 2011 - 1:02:28 AM
Christianity
Anarchists are Everywhere! Even in Christianity!
I was recently sent an article to read that was located in the "The Christian Anarchist Reader." I thought that the author's approach to his faith was rather interesting, and so today I provide readers with the link to the site and one paragraph that might give you insight into the author's mindset.
Jun 18, 2011 - 1:21:06 AM
Christianity
Jesus' Resurrection and the Life of a Christian
Is the fact that Jesus rose from the grave about 2,000 years ago really all that important to a Christian's faith? What if Jesus had never risen from the tomb in which He was buried? What if He were in the grave today? Could we still be Christians if Jesus had never arisen?
Jun 12, 2011 - 4:15:55 AM
Christianity
A Prophetic Word about America's Future.
I received this in an email and the internet address is a blogspot which I cannot access from China. I would normally not pay much attention to this type of writing, but given the state of World Affairs - The Arab World, Israel and the U.S.A. I couldn't help wondering about it! I can't tell if there is more to this prophetic word so I will leave it up to readers with an interest to check it out. R.P. BenDedek
May 29, 2011 - 12:25:42 AM
Christianity
What Did You Expect?
According to Isaiah, any deity that could consistently forecast the future would be recognized as a true God, while any unable to tell the future should be relegated to the rubbish pile of false religions. In order to prove that the God of Israel was the true God, Isaiah quoted this from the mouth of God: "I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times thins that are not yet done" (46:9-10).
May 1, 2011 - 12:23:07 AM
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