The Sound Word

I Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." Easter. The very word brings such a variety of thought to our minds and spirit that many of us instantly head off in different directions. Some go right to the cross, and consider the ultimate sacrifice. Some go back to the manger where it all started. Some think as I have today, of the story in between and how our Lord/Lamb spent so much time, took so much care, and gave so much love to those around Him so that they might pass it on to you and me today, here and now. Regardless of where we go in our thoughts and reflections, or where the Holy Spirit might lead, we all at some point get to the place where we are faced with our own sin, and must consider the cross for what it is. The trouble is, that some of us are there at the cross, and do not recognize it, and if we do, are not sure what to do about it. This Sunday I will be using our time together in the ...

I Peter 3:8-9 8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. We had a wonderfully exciting evening of open discussion at our mid-week bible study last night. With the seriousness of the socio-political events of this week, we took a moment to discuss these events that we, Christian or otherwise, must deal with as we move forward. We discussed the inevitability of prophecy. How we know we are moving towards end times events like a one world government, cashless monetary system, a one world religion and the likes. But while world-wide events are clearly outlined, the role of the US is not defined. Not having a definitive answer in scripture with how the United States will fair in eschatology, we choose to have one of two practical reactions: Since there...

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:       Fear God and keep His commandments,       For this is man's all.        14 For God will bring every work into judgment,       Including every secret thing,       Whether good or evil.   I awoke this morning to see that our beloved congress passed their omnibus health care bill. This is a bill that includes laws that require me as a citizen to make purchases at my own expenses. The government is now not only taxing us more than ever before, it will now be putting its hands directly into our pockets and making us spend our money on the things that THEY choose and deem best for us. This is patently unconstitutional. As of today, 22 March, 2010, we no longer live in a representative Republic; we now live under tyrannical rule, forced to do the will of...

Luke 6:48 48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. It has unmistakably been a common thread in so much in my life this year that: I just have to share on the subject. It has to be from God, and I'm sure of it. I had a brief counseling session with an old friend this is week. It came up. I had a visit from a missionary working in Kenya, it came up there. In a book I'm reading, it came up there. Emails, questions in my voice mail, comments on on-line forums, everywhere I look. Here is what the Lord is putting on my heart: Christians in America have lost their knowledge, and worse yet, their zeal for a biblical foundation in the doctrine and life. I put the blame on the 'church' corporate, and I put the blame on pastors and teachers. The information is there. Christian doctrine is there. As...

Psalm 51: 10-13 Create in me a clean heart, oh god. Renew a right spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don't take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me again, the joy of my salvation, and make me willing to obey you. Then I will teach your ways to sinners, and they will return to you.   I have read the verses in Psalm 53 a thousand times. But today they become new again. When an offense is made, what shall we do? We have plenty of biblical direction in this area, both Old and New Testament. In the OT, sacrifices are made. A predetermined penalty is paid based on the offense under the law. In the NT the Law is fulfilled, we are no longer under the legalism of the law, but rather the law of love in our hearts. I can see, and hope that you all can as well, that in some cases when we make mistakes, and feelings are hurt, that it would be much easier to pay a legal fine, present a sacrifice or pay some sort of physical restitution or do some sort of penance...

John 18:38 Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, "I find no fault in Him at all. In my studies of Martin Luther's life and experiences as a bit of Christian history that just grabs my attention, I notice that there is in fact quite a bit about what Luther went through that was unique. But at the same time, there is much, sadly way too much that he went through that parallels the Church today 493 years later. But then again, Luther sought nothing more than what Pontius Pilate wanted himself. As I shared this Sunday in my sermon, 'those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it' (a quote often accredited to Winston Churchill, but more likely first coined by Spanish poet and novelist George Santayana). What I'm seeing today is that the struggle that so often lies within the heart of man, to know truth; and that since truth is true, that we therefore have to believ...

In America today, self esteem is not only touted as perhaps the root to progress in every area of your life, it is a staple doctrine for teachers, counselors, psychologists and 'BFF's' everywhere you go. Wikipedia defines Self-esteem as: "… a term used in psychology to reflect a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of his or her own worth. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs (for example, "I am competent-incompetent") and emotions (for example, triumph-despair, pride-shame). Behavior may reflect self-esteem (for example, assertiveness-shyness, confidence-caution)." One social commentator wrote, "Self-esteem is a core identity issue, essential to personal validation and our ability to experience joy. Once achieved, it comes from the inside out. But it is assaulted or stunted from the outside in. A woman with low self-esteem does not feel good about herself because she has absorbed negative messages about women from the culture and/or relatio...