THE ONE YEAR BIBLE CLUB

   "But the people of  Israel  are not willing to listen to you because they are not willing to listen to me"  There's a profound truth here! People that are willing to listen to us are really people that are willing to listen to God. Many people pray and ask for a sign from God, but that's not what they need. I myself once prayed, "God if you're real, cause a falling star to fall...RIGHT NOW!” A falling star didn't fall and I continued in my sinful ways until later on I ran into a Christian who invited me out to church....several times! What if God had gave me my request that night in the park and shown me a falling star, would I have become a believer? Of course not, I would have dismissed it as mere coincidence and gone on in my sin. All we need is the people God sends our way, if we will listen to them then we will listen to God. But the opposite is also true, if we will not listen to them then we will not listen to God eit...

      I have always wondered about people who claim a peacefulness about dieing. It is not that I don't believe the accounts/stories I have heard, it is just hard to believe. In my opinion, I have always feared death and until this day there is still somewhat of a fear that lurks within. Today's reading helped me feel a little more at ease with my disposition towards death. Our text acknowledges that there is a natural, human tendency to have a fear towards death, so I am normal. Anyone who claims to have no fear of death must be someone who is not being completely honest with you or worse, with themselves. This text in Hebrews is very important concerning death.  It is written that one of the  pre-requisites  for Jesus to be our Saviour was that  He too face (taste) death .  And what was Jesus' response just seconds before he died? " Father, why have you forsaken me " (does that sound like fear?!) There was a fear ....however ...

    Do you love Angels?  Apparently, you're not the only one! The writer of Hebrews takes a whole chapter to dismantle, for the Gospel's sake, the worship of Angels. As one man famously quoted, "the more things change they more they remain the same." Here we are, a couple of thousand years later, still having to deal with this issue, of worshiping Angels, in the church.  We love Angels, they're beautiful (not sure how we know this?), they have wings, they fly and best of all, they don't judge. God, he's the boss, the mean guy! Angels, just help and do good. People who have a love affair with Angels, often are not that knowledgeable of the Bible. Angels may be beautiful and only there to help, but if you read Revelations, they judge (by God's decree) and kill worse than any villain in Hollywood. The Catholics like to worship Mary and Saints, Christians like to worship Angels. Each religion has their own demi-gods that they set up for themselves, rather ...

The scripture in Lamentations today makes me think of how ironic it is, that we so desperately want to know our future, but then again, we give no thought to our future, it's a complete contradiction of who we are. And this is who we are, as people, we constantly contradict ourselves. We say "this is what I want" but then turn around and do actions that are in complete contrast to what we said the previous day.... .  She defiled herself with immorality and gave no thought to her future. Now she lies in the gutter with no one to lift her out.   She gave NO THOUGHT to her future. All we think about is our future, but this text says, "she gave no thought to her future", so which is it? Do we think about our future or do we not think about our future. It's both! All we think about is our future "in our thoughts" but we never think about the future "in our decisions/actions"; our decisions, contradict our thoughts. If we are so concerned about...

   It's very interesting, Isaiah predicts the rise of Babylon when they are insignificant nobodies, it is hardly believable that Babylon is ever going to rise to any stage of great prominence, never mind, defeat Israel and take them all in captive to be their slaves. Yet that's exactly what happened. Now we have Jeremiah, when Babylon IS the greatest force on  the earth predicting that they will be reduced to nothing, they will be something to be laughed at and mocked, this is also hardly believable, especially as he predicts this while they are great. Yet, approx 65-70 years later, the Medes and Persians come in and completely destroy Babylon, the Great. Isaiah predicts their greatness when they are nothing and he (Jeremiah) predicts their fall when they are great. The boldness of these predictions......these prophecies will either prove him to be true a Prophet or a false prophet! History (don't even have to use the Bible) proves both these Prophecies to be 100% accurat...

    Paul in our text is breaking down Christian and ethical behavior in 4 categories. He's breaking it down for Men, Women & Children & Servants. There is variation in what he writes to all 4, but one common virtue Paul brings up in all 4 scenarios, the "only" virtue he brings up to all 4 parties is that of "Self Control". I think it is easier to understand that word if you say it backwards... Control Self , or even more specifically,  Control yourself ! Is this such a big issue with us? Do we not control ourselves? I know I control my bladder, it would be severely embarrassing to me to be with friends and have an "accident". I don't think they would look at me with much empathy but they probably would look at me with much sympathy, sympathy for what a sorry sucker I am that I cannot control my own bladder at my age. There are other areas that I am not so flawless at exercising self control. I have never, not once had a bladder accident, no...

    The heading in most Bibles for Ephesians 4 "Christian Living".  Ephesians 4 & 5 are the basic manuals for Christian etiquette. The antagonist of the Church, ironically enough, is not necessarily the Devil, though he is one, but it is also you and I.  We by nature try to drag the church down to are level, rather than rise up to the standard Christ has set before us. This constant tension between what our flesh craves for and what the Holy Spirit desires. Any Pastor on any given Sunday could preach on this text and have the altars full. "Don't be bitter, don't fight, stop lusting, stop lying, let go of the anger, don't grieve the Holy Spirit" We can so easily be reduced to our base instinct, our base nature. So often we hear Christians say, "oh, they are so lucky I'm a Christian, or I would....." This only confirms that for many of us, as Voltaire, the French philosopher and acclaimed atheist wrote, "scratch the service of a Chri...