Humble Servant

  AUDIO “I Have Some Good News and Some Bad News. . .” I am shocked that you are turning away so soon from God, who called you to himself through the loving mercy of Christ. You are following a different method that pretends to be the Good News but is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliberately twist the truth concerning Christ. We have all heard good news/bad news jokes. Before we can fully appreciate the good news, we have to know the bad news. The literal definition of the gospel is good news. And before we can fully appreciate the good news of the gospel, we have to know the bad news. That means telling people they are sinners. Of course, people don’t like to hear that. I’m a what? I’m not a sin ner! I’m a good person! We have to define what it means to be a sinner, because the Bible says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Yet there are preachers today who don’t want to tell people they’re sinners. They claim th...

 AUDIO What does John 17:23 mean?   For those who are not saved ( 1 Corinthians 2:14 ), the only way to "see" God and His influence is through the example of Christian believers ( Matthew 5:13–16 ). Jesus previously indicated that His actions demonstrated that He was sent by God ( John 14:11 , 31 ). The same is meant to be true of born-again believers ( John 17:21 ). Those who sincerely love God will obey God ( John 14:15 ), and that means showing Christian love for other believers ( Colossians 3:14 ). As much as Christians are obligated to rebuke those who teach false things ( Galatians 1:8 ; 1 Corinthians 5:11 ), there is also a command to be lovingly unified ( Romans 14:1 ). In this High Priestly Prayer ( John 17:1 ), it's important to note this emphasis. When Jesus began to pray specifically for those who would come to faith through the work of the apostles ( John 17:20 ), the main request He makes is for unity. While in other passages, Jesus is more direct about His...

  Are You In The Right Church Signs of an Unhealthy, Toxic Church – Are You in the Right Church? ( It’s very frustrating nowadays to see what is happening before our eyes. I have read some stories from various online sites on this issue, and this is what I came up with. As always, you have the FREE WILL that we got from GOD to go to or attend whatever ch urch or follow whatever religion you wish. ) When people leave a difficult and painful church, they often ask in counseling, “Is this normal? Am I crazy or overreacting? Is this unhealthy church leadership?” It’s a difficult question to answer without knowing all the details. If you know from experien ce that when you serve in leadership in a chaotic and mistrustful church environment, you are often put in confusing positions where you don’t know how to respond. Too often, you are taught that “our way is the best way and our critics are our enemies.” Add itionally, you have often seen what happens to those who disagree with church ...

AUDIO I find I must borrow yet another parable from George MacDonald. Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought  of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself. The command Be ye perfect is not idealistic gas. Nor is it a command to do the impossible. He is going to make us into creatures that can obey that command. He said (in the Bible) ...