Author: Nick

Lately there has been much discussion about hell. Is there a hell? Is it a real place? Who ends up there? Does anyone end up there? This isn’t a discussion that just came up. It’s the logical result of a process that’s been ongoing for years. When Christianity started, the followers of Christ were still around and recalled and recorded what He said. There is amazing consistency between their recollections recorded in the gospels and the letters they wrote. What he said was what he said and that was the end of it. But soon students of the gospel began to treat scripture simply as literature, traditions developed and mankind moved into the “Age of Reason.” Man began to respect his intellectual ability and his traditions. Eventually, these became as important as scripture giving rise to concepts such as the “three legged stool.” This was the idea that, in evaluating what is true,  equal weight should be given to scripture, reason and tradition, like a stool that could only be stable if all three were equal. As time went on, Man began to give his intellect and traditions more weight than scripture. Today, for many, biblical concepts are only […]

Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name (Psalm 29:2) Do you ever critique Sunday service on the way home? Have you ever heard yourself say: “”I didn’t get anything out of that today.” If so, sadly, you’re not alone. Do you realize that you’re not suppose to “get anything” out of the service? Worship is about Him not us. We are in church to give and not to get. Does “Give God the Glory” sound familiar? It isn’t surprising that we are self-focused on Sunday mornings. We hear about God meeting our needs. We are preached to and sung to. We are prayed for and served. Put yourself in the Pastor’s place. He faces a group that has had a variety of experiences in the previous week. Some good, some bad. Many are happy for a variety of reasons. Many are down for a variety of reasons. He’s suppose to meet all those folks just where they are? Isn’t that considerably unreasonable. Even if God has been speaking to Him all week (and with all the issues he has faced there’s no guarantee that He has), that word may not be the word for every person […]

That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.  Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.  Much was lost when Adam and Eve fell in the garden. Perhaps most significance was our intimacy with God. The first man and woman walked and talked with Him in the garden. It was a reason they were created, to be friends with God. Our general feelings of emptiness, the hole in our soul, are based on the loss of that intimacy. So much so that Paul yearned, “that I may know Him.” We are to “seek first” the Kingdom of God. If we are yearning for God and are focused on Him, our other perceived needs melt away. Much of what we think we want and need are simply substitutes for the God we were created to know and serve. That desire to know Him is fired by the Holy Spirit who […]

32 And it shall come to pass       That whoever calls on the name of the LORD       Shall be saved.       For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,       As the LORD has said,       Among the remnant whom the LORD calls. Joel 2:32 21 And it shall come to pass      That whoever calls on the name of the LORD      Shall be saved.’ Acts 2:21 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. Romans 10:13   The phrase, “Whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” is used three times in the Bible—once in Joel 2:32 as part of a prophetic account, once in Acts 2:21 by the Apostle Peter during his address at Pentecost, and once in Romans 10:13 by the Apostle Paul in his address to the Roman church. There must be something to calling upon the name of the Lord. I just finished watching a video taken during the tornado which struck Joplin, Missouri. Several people took refuge in the rear of a convenience store. There is little light in the video so not much can be seen. But the noise of the savage storm can be heard as […]

12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.  Philippians 2:12-13 Spiritual maturity is a step-by-step process. The process is often stunted by early misconceptions. For example, we often act as if the goal is faith in Christ leading to salvation. It’s a little like the student for whom the goal is graduation. Graduation is just the beginning. Salvation is just the beginning. God’s goal, and thus ours, is for us to be transformed into the image of His Son. Some never get past this misconception.  Others, recognizing that something more is expected, try to be conformed to the image of Christ on their own. They try to do good deeds and ultimately fail. It is at this point that we often go astray. We think we are suppose to do something for God in gratitude for what He has done for us. God has everything, including all power. He doesn’t need for us to do for Him. […]

Christianity taking over planet?Evidence suggests it’s fastest growing faith on Earth What is the fastest-growing religion on Earth? Most news reports suggest it is Islam. But the evidence suggests a new, or, perhaps, original form of biblically inspired evangelical Christianity is sweeping through places like China, Africa, India and Southeast Asia – making it, by far, the fastest growing faith on the planet. In “Megashift,” author Jim Rutz coins a new phrase to define this fast-growing segment of the population. He calls them “core apostolics” – or “the new saints who are at the heart of the mushrooming kingdom of God.” Rutz makes the point that Christianity is overlooked as the fastest-growing faith in the world because most surveys look at the traditional Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church while ignoring Christian believers who have no part of either. He says there are 707 million “switched-on disciples” who fit into this new category and that this “church” is exploding in growth. “The growing core of Christianity crosses theological lines and includes 707 million born-again people who are increasing by 8 percent a year,” he says. So fast is this group growing that, under current trends, according to Rutz, […]

I spent the afternoon listening to the Cajuns play softball. They are playing in the regionals in Austin, Texas. They lost yesterday, so they had to win twice today to keep playing. Their pitcher, Ashley Brignac is a Christian. She pitched yesterday. She was supposed to rest in the first game today, but the starting pitcher got hurt early in the game and Ashley had to pitch. She pitched that game and won and then pitched the next game against Texas the number 3 team in the country at their field and won. It was an exhausting but inspiring effort. She gave more than could be expected. Sometimes we don’t expect enough from ourselves. We don’t give 100 percent. We should give our all for Our Lord who gave His all.  But other times we are too hard on ourselves. Often, even when we’ve given our all, things don’t work out like we believe they should. We play hard, but we don’t win. In those times, we need to be happy with our best effort. When we don’t do you know who sets unrealistic standards? Who  sets the bar beyond reach? We do. Our Heavenly Father doesn’t. Our problem […]

Some are saying Jesus is returning on Saturday. I don’t think so. I believe He is returning soon; but I also believes no man knows the date. The sad thing is that these false prophecies detract from the very real truth that He is returning. That’s not a wild-eyed fringe view but is the belief of nearly every denomination. So what does the bible say about His return? What will it be like? What should we be doing while we wait? The bible has much to say about Jesus’ return. One out of every 30 verses in the Bible mentions the subject of Christ’s return or the end of time.  Of the 216 chapters in the New Testament, there are well over 300 references to the return of Christ.  23 of the 27 New Testament books mention Christ’s return. In the Old Testament, such well-known and reliable men of God as Job, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, as well as most of the minor prophets mention Christ’s return in their writings. Christ often spoke specifically about His own return to earth. Throughout the centuries, Christ’s disciples and followers have adamantly believed, written, and taught that Christ would someday return to earth. […]