Conditional Worship.

As I try to process the events that have transpired over the past 24 hours of my life, it leads me to consider the act of conditional worship. This is when a fellowship, be it christian, Jewish, Muslim or any religion enforces a set of rules that you must obey in order to be a part of their congregation. In Christianity this is called legalism. In other fellowships this is called occultic practises, sacraments and rituals. Jesus issued strong warning against those who practise their faith as a ritualistic form and warned others not to do as they do as many fell under the leadership of these false teachers. The reason why Jesus warned his followers of this Hippocratic way of living your life was because he believed that those who wanted their religion were in fact rejecting Christ and consequently the One true God who could save their souls from the consequences of their sins, which is hell.

God gave these religious leaders up to their own error because instead of doing things His way, they hardened their hearts and eventually committed the unpardonable sin which is not just a rejection of Christ, but a rejection of God himself. "For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened." When we reject the gospel we reject Christ the only one who can save us from our sin: "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

The Pharisees not only rejected God, but they rejected the cross. You can have a form of religion but not be saved,"having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them." There are many so called professing christian churches out there that fall into this category, having a form of godliness and we are warned to flee from such people. If you are looking to your denomination to save you or your good works, flee from that. Only Jesus Christ can save you and he does it through the cross and his blood. Any church that denies this reality is not a church and is quite possibly a cult, or just a religious institution which in my opinion is even worse. You may as well be a Buddhist or some other isms when your church abandons the cross and the only person who can save their soul from God's judgement.

This is Mike.

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On Christian Marriage. (Short)

On Christian Marriage. (Short) The modern co-habitation crisis has produced a lot of single moms and dads, and has fractured "family units" allowing other family members and relatives to take a bigger role in these "Separated families." There isn't a "one cause" why families have separated or divorced, it is a complicated issue, sometimes resulting in very hard emotions for Society to process. Things like the "millennial sexual revolution" have contributed to the widespread "non-committal" attitude, which in turn has given the traditional marriage the "black eye" it currently has and has turned many Christian men away from seeking a life partner. The more society devalues "traditional marriage" the more co-habitation you will see in all the other generations as well as the Millennials. This is Mike.

Why Christians must show Mutual Concern for One another.

Look and see, there is no one at my right hand; no one is concerned for me. I have no refuge; no one cares for my life. Psalm 142:4. Christians in the church should have mutual concern for one another, this is what it means to be part of the body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:25. It’s takes good pastoral leadership to foster this sense of concern, and where it is missing, individuals who are suffering in the church are overlooked and not supported. Every believer needs support and encouragement, but when this is missing, the church divides and loses it power and testimony. Christians live like the world, and become vulnerable to Satan’s attacks when nobody is supporting them outside the church. I used to belong to an evangelical church which had great leadership, and something called small groups. This church felt like a family and I had people who shared my Christian walk with me when I was not in the church building. I have been attending a different denomination that doesn’t hav...

The Biblical Meaning of “Life in the Spirit.”

“Life in the Spirit” is an example that the Apostle Paul gives in the book of Romans starting in chapter 5 and going through to chapter 8. He begins by telling us we are justified by faith (5:1), and have gained access by faith into the grace of God (5:2). We have been delivered from God’s wrath (5:9) and we have been reconciled to God through the death of His Son (5:10). He goes on to explain that through Adam all die (5:12), and that the free Gift of God brings justification and righteousness to the believing sinner (5:15-17). Through our conversion we are baptized into Christ and into his death, which frees us from the law and makes us dead to sin (6:2-4). He explains that just as Christ was raised from the dead, we are given new life in Christ (6:4). Our old unregenerate self was crucified with Christ so that our body of sin might be done away with (6:5-6). Because we have died to sin, we now submit ourselves to God being that we are now under grace, not the law (6:8-1...

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