A special day for parents isn't just one day out of a year—every day in the life of your father and mother is "Mother's and Father's Day," (Proverbs 15:20). All should be appreciative of parents who give birth to, or adopted one into a responsible household (2 Timothy 3:2, Colossians 3:20, Proverbs 4:1–27, Prov. 3:22). And sure, not every house is an acceptable place, because some parents are lousy and such conduct is inexcusable (1 Samuel 3:12–14). Such persons need to repent! (Luke 13:3). But, being a parent means you are ready, willing, and able to provide and train a youngster to go in the right direction (Prov. 22:6, 1 Tim. 3:4–5, 1 Tim. 5:8).
So everyday we celebrate and thank God, for responsible men and women who understand the importance of raising children in order to contribute to the betterment of mankind (Prov. 17:21). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. A martyr, as revealed by the word of God, is one who is persecuted for what he believes and is finally killed by his oppressors because he refuses to denounce what he believes. A martyr dies himself and doesn't plan or seek to take others with him, whether they be his oppressors or just innocent people. Let me repeat just in case someone didn't quite understand, a martyr is someone who is suffering based on what he has believed and is finally killed because of that belief, and he dies alone, not plotting the death of others. A martyr is a righteous person in good favor with God and isn't a fanatic or homicidal. You won't see him walking into a crowded mall and murdering shoppers when his back pack explodes (Revelation 2:10, Mark 8:35–36, Acts 6:8–15, Acts 7:1–60, Acts 21:10–14, Matthew 24:8–9, Hebrews 11:36–40, 2 Timothy 4:6–8).
Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. One of the things people often say is, "Why did God let this happen?"; or "How could that bad thing happen to such a good person?" People must remember that God has already told man that life on earth will not be as life in Heaven (Job 14:1, Matthew 6:19–21). God also said that life on earth would present both good and evil, along with justice and injustice. At times the guilty will get what is coming to them and at other times the innocent will fall prey to the wicked (Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, Matt. 13:24–30, Eccl. 3:16–17, Eccl. 4:1–3, Eccl. 5:8, Psalm 37). That's why man shouldn't expect eternal happiness on earth because it's just not going to happen. Man should repent of his sins and serve God, so that when he dies, he will be with God in the next life, where all sorrow will be gone and no one will be asking the question; "How could such a bad thing happen to such a good person?" etc. etc.
Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. The word of God defines sin as transgression of God's law (1 John 3:4). In other words, the law of God said to do one thing and the person does just the opposite, which places him or her in conflict with what the scripture has said. However, learn this rule about sin. It will take you farther than you plan to go and cause you to pay more than you planned to pay and make you stay longer than you thought to stay. For example, two men plan to rob a bank and end up shooting and killing someone in the process. A man desires a short affair or a one night stand and ends up with a psycho who refuses to end the affair, and afterward begins stalking him, threatening his life and that of his family. A person plans on having only one drink and ends up drunk. In traffic an enraged driver gets out of his car to yell at another driver, and is shot dead by the driver.
So you see, sin is dangerous, and one cannot plan the perfect sin because it always will turn in a direction one can never guess. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Would you read this verse from the Bible? "For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, and the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first," (1 Thessalonians 4:16, KJV). Maybe you believe in the Bible, and maybe you don't, but imagine that this verse is true. If so, the world will end one day, and men will be judged by God. Where will you be when the trumpet of God blows? In the graveyard dead? Still alove and enjoying a sinful life? Living a confused life, wondering if God exists? Living life as an atheist? Living life and being a part of a religion unknown to the word of God? Or living your life in harmony with all that the Bible teaches? Think about this question.
Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. There are women who welcome the pain that comes with child birth. They rejected painkillers because of the desire to experience the full impact of what it feels like to bring a child into this world.
Now, would you read three verses from the Bible with me? In Matthew 27:34, we read that the Romans gave Jesus vinegar mixed with gall, but he refused it. This was a custom to allow a condemned man to drink a pain killer to make his death less agonizing. But Jesus Christ, the sacrifice for the sins of men, would have none of that. Jesus Christ wasn't looking for an easy way out; he choose to bear the full agony of death upon the cross for us all (Hebrews 2:9, Isaiah 53:3–10). So, remember, Jesus willfully endured pain so that you and I might have salvation. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Many think that they can do evil and get away with it. "No one will ever know." "No one will see me," they say. Now I don't know if you believe the Bible to be the word of God. I don't know if you even believe that God exists. However, just read with me from the Bible for one moment. In Proverbs 15:3, the Bible teaches that the eyes of God sees all. In Psalms 94:9, the Bible teaches, "shall not He who created man, not see?" In Jeremiah 23:24, "Can a man hide himself in secret and I not see him?" In Ecclesiastes 12:14, God will bring up every secret thing in the Judgment.
So if God exists and the Bible is His word, then man cannot get away with secret evil deeds. And you can be assured that God does exist and that the Bible is His word because the design of this world proves a Creator , and there is no book that can teach a better principle than the Creator, and there is no book that can teach a better principle than the Bible. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. The NBC show "The Apprentice", uses the 70's song, "Money, Money, Money" which was performed by the R&B group, the O'Jays. We would like to share a few things with you concerning what the word of God teaches about money. First of all, money belongs to God and He gives it to man (Psalms 50:10–12, 1 Kings 3:13). Money is also great if it is earned honestly (Ephesians 4:28, 2 Thessalonians 3:6–9). Money is to be used to take care of the family (1 Timothy 5:8, Genesis 43:19–22). To buy the things desired (2 Samuel 24:24, 1 Kings 21:2). Money is to be used to help those in need (Luke 10:34–35). Money is to be used to pay bills (Romans 13:6–8).
Money should never be placed before God (Matthew 6:33). A person should save some of his money (Proverbs 21:20, Luke 15:11–14). A person shouldn't commit sin in order to get paid (2 Peter 2:15, Matt. 26:14–16). And last, but not least, men shouldn't love money (1 Timothy 6:10). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Have you ever wondered how much time you have left to live? You may be in the best health of your life, but still, have you wondered how much time you have left? Death is active every minute of the day, for there are constant landings and takeoffs of the angels, as they carry the souls of the departed to the Hadean world to await the final judgment (Luke 16:22, Psalm 90:10). Ever wonder when your flight to the unseen is scheduled? It doesn't matter if you're an atheist or agnostic, you will be departing on your flight one day (Hebrews 9:27, Romans 5:12, Job 30:23, Ecclesiastes 3:3).
The tragic thing about atheists and agnostics is, their beliefs will be proven wrong after death, and there is no way they will be able to redeem themselves (Eccl. 11:3, John 8:21). But a living person can prepare himself for the flight of death by obeying the gospel of Jesus Christ (Revelation 14:13, 1 Corinthians 15:1–6). Don't let death catch you unprepared. Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. Many say they are pleased with their lives and the churches they attend, so don't bother speaking to them about God. But, it is possible for a person to be satisfied with himself and not be pleasing to God (2 Samuel 11:27, Proverbs 14:12, Isaiah 55:8–9). For example, there are many tax cheats, liars, drunks, crack heads, and unworthy people on food stamps who are pleased with their life. Does that make those people right? Do you think God is pleased with them?
In Luke 18:18–25, we read of a rich man who walked away from Christ because he was pleased with his life style and didn't want to do what the Lord required. Did that make this man right? He certainly must have been satisfied with his life because he refused to change. But this didn't make him right and neither will such satisfaction of self make us right. What will make us right is complete obedience to God's word and relying on it to be our guide (Psalms 119:105, Acts 17:11, 1 John 4:1, 2 Timothy 2:15, John 5:39, James 1:22–25). Hope to hear from you or see you at the services. |