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False Gospels: Are You Following One?–Part 2
We have a staggering lack of spiritual discernment here in the United States. In my last post, I introduced some of the reasons why false teaching is influencing the Church here in the United States so strongly in our time, namely, the over-reliance on extrabiblical study aids marketed in the Christian publishing industry and a growing attack on the verity of the Bible. My heart in this post is to help those who are being misled by false teachers or influenced by false teaching.
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False Gospels: Are You Following One?–Part 1
New-fangled digital devices help detect an out-of-tune note and perfect it. Most of these have some sort of readout that appears as a needle wavering too much to the left, or flat side, or too much to the right, or sharp side as an instrument is tuned, with the goal of getting the needle dead center of the two, making the note "in tune." This reminds me of an anology that could be made in the spiritual world between two extremes of error that can fall somewhere on the flat side of the sharp side, with truth being dead center.
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Who Is My Neighbor?
Who is my neighbor? It's a question that we should well be asking in our changing society. Jesus' parable about the good Samaritan beautifully illustrates that when we see someone in need, even an enemy, we should extend mercy. We preach that we need to see the image of God in everyone...we sing about grace that is greater than all our sin. Do we practice living out this grace toward others? Do we practice mercy? Do we prove to be a true neighbor? "You go, and do likewise." (Luke 10:37)
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Faith & Trust: Living It Out
In the United States we have the motto, “In God We Trust,” printed on all our money. Most Christians are likely to point out the utter hypocrisy or at least the irony of this statement given our present society’s idolization of wealth. But beloved, can we all take a moment to look at our own lives and attitudes and ponder whether or not we ourselves are walking in light of God’s truth and promises?
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The Beauty of the Gospel
Have you ever really stopped to think about the impossibility of mankind being able to save themselves? We have had roughly 6,000 years of biblical history unfolding to date, and we have not and will not ever develop the perfect person or society. Why? While man claims that we can evolve into something better given enough time, Jesus prophesied that in the last days the world and mankind would devolve and get worse...
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Faith Working Through Love
Perhaps it is serendipitous, maybe a little ironic, for me to be writing about work and rest on our Labor Day holiday weekend here in the United States. This federal holiday was enacted as a response to the action of labor activists who wanted to recognize our workers as making significant contributions to America's strength, prosperity, and well-being. It is a nationwide day off granted as a rest from our great labors. There is a somewhat similar idea in the Bible called the Sabbath day, which was the seventh day in the Jewish week on which no work was to be performed. It was to be a picture of God's…
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The Mercy at the Heart of the Golden Rule
Reciprocity. It is a basic human desire, even an expectation, to be treated fairly and with respect. There are norms in every society that influence a person's behavior, many unspoken, expectations for the return of a kindness done to another. Sometimes the kindness done is motivated by a selfish desire to receive some favor back, the "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine" philosophy. Sometimes. less obviously or even hidden from our own conscious recognition, a kindness is done in the hopes of fulfilling a deep need, such as love or friendship, the "if I do this thing, what will I gain and what will it cost?" type of mathematical…
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God’s Honest Truth
Have you ever asked this yourself? What IS truth? We live in a society nowadays, especially here in the United States, where "fake news" is a buzzword and people's mouths are filled with words that are chosen to sell us a product or persuade us to act. They spin a story. They spin the truth...So, what is truth, just as this Roman governor asked two millennia ago, and where can we turn to find it?
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Thy Will Be Done
Have you ever wondered why there is such a poor witness in many a church these days? Scandals seem to be more common, and sadly, are even expected by a jaded world. Whether it be a lack of moral purity, greed, or the false idol of personal popularity, the world is watching and saying that religion is poison. And you know what? This type is!
![[Eph 1:16-17, 19 ESV]](https://i0.wp.com/lampstanddevotions.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Train3.jpg?resize=1140%2C784&ssl=1)
