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This scripture, as well as Matthew 15:12, reveals that people will be offended by the Gospel. As much as possible, however, we should make sure that it is not ourselves that are offensive. But we cannot labor under the deception that everyone will receive the Gospel, even if the truth was presented properly. We know that Jesus represented His Father perfectly and yet most people rejected His message.
In these two instances, when Jesus realized He had offended the listeners, He didn't apologize and try to make concessions to gain their acceptance. Instead, He got harder. This hard message of commitment is not only beneficial to those who receive it, but it serves a dual purpose in that it exposes the "tares among the wheat."
It is important to be...
I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT WHEN I BECAME BORN-AGAIN AND THOUGHT I WOULD SHARE A COUPLE OF THINGS WITH YOU. I KNOW, NOW, THAT I WOULD HAVE BECOME A CHRISTIAN SOONER THAN I DID IF I HAD KNOWN THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW. I WAS BROUGHT UP IN THE BAPTIST CHURCH SO I KNEW WHO JESUS WAS AND I EVEN BELIEVED WHAT THE BIBLE SAID ABOUT HIM. WHAT I DIDN'T KNOW IS THAT I DIDN'T HAVE TO BE DOWN FRONT OF A CHURCH IN FRONT OF ALL THOSE PEOPLE TO ASK FORGIVENESS AND RECEIVE JESUS AS MY SAVIOR. DOING THAT TERRIFIED ME AND FOR MONTHS I KNEW I WANTED TO BE SAVED BUT WOULD NOT STEP OUT IN THAT ISLE AND GO DOWN FRONT. HEAVEN FORBID THAT I WOULD GET DOWN THERE AND START CRYING. IF I HAD ONLY KNOWN.
Many thought that Jesus was speaking of cannibalism, but He was speaking of the spiritual man. Just as the physical man receives life from the food he eats, so the spiritual man receives life as he partakes of Jesus, the life of men (Jn. 1:4; 10:10; 14:6) or the "Bread of Life." Just as the life of a root is found in the soil, or a branch in the vine, or a fish in the sea, so the believer's true life is found to be in union with Christ.
The Bible presents salvation as a life transforming experience. Change is one of the distinguishing characteristics of a true believer. Yet, failure to understand that this change takes place in the spirit first, and is then reflected in the outward thoughts and actions, proportional to the way we renew our minds, has caused much confusion....
WHEN I WAS PRAYING ABOUT SOMETHING TO WRITE, IT CAME TO MIND THAT EVERYONE HAS THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD. OVER THE YEARS I HAVE TRIED TO FIND A WAY TO CONVINCE YOU NON BELIEVERS THAT GOD IS REAL AND THE BIBLE IS HIS HOLY WORD AND ROMANS 1:18-19 TELLS US THIS "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them."
The Old Testament prophets prophesied of a new covenant where we would all be taught of God. This is speaking of revelation knowledge that comes from within, through our spirit. Under the Old Covenant, God dealt with the Jews through the outer man. He did this because an Old Covenant man (who was not born again) could not perceive the spiritual truths revealed in the New Covenant by the Spirit (1 Cor. 2:14). This difference between the old and new covenants is the reason why there had to be two covenants.
The Old Testament man was comparable to a child in his ability to grasp spiritual truth. It is impossible to explain spiritual truth to a young child, and yet, a child must be restrained from...
WHEN WE FIRST ACCEPTED JESUS AS OUR SAVIOR, IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE FOR US TO KNOW EVERYTHING THAT FOLLOWING HIM WOULD TAKE. NO ONE, HOWEVER, SHOULD BE FEARFUL OF MAKING A TOTAL COMMITMENT BECAUSE OF SOME IMAGINED PROBLEM THAT MAY NEVER COME TO PASS. IF YOU HAVE ACCEPTED HIM, THEN GOD HAS DRAWN YOU TO HIM. IT WASN'T YOUR IDEA BUT GOD'S. THIS SHOULD MAKE YOU FEEL LIKE SHOUTING BECAUSE THIS SHOWS YOU THAT GOD LOVES YOU VERY MUCH. LOOK WHAT JESUS SAYS IN JOHN 6:44 "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent...
It is probable that these Jews were expecting Jesus to rain down manna on them the way God did before in the wilderness. After all, anyone who could feed five thousand men with one small lunch should be able to produce manna. They were still thinking of physical food.
The word "manna" means literally "what is it?" The children of Israel said, "It is manna: for they wist (or knew) not what it was." (Ex. 16:15) Manna was a nutritious food which appeared on the ground every morning shortly after the children of Israel left Egypt and began their 40-year wandering in the wilderness. Moses called it "bread which the Lord...
All throughout history, mankind has been seeking ways to do the works of God. Everyone has a knowledge within them of the reality of God (Rom. 1:18-20), and a desire to be right with Him. However, just as with these Jews, few agree with the Lord as to how to do it. These Jews were willing to do something to obtain salvation, but they were not willing to commit themselves to Jesus and accept His gift.
This is one of the major differences between Christianity and the religions of the world. Religion is willing to make sacrifices to obtain right standing with God, but Christianity recognizes our complete inability to ever do enough to save ourselves and calls for total faith and reliance on what Jesus did for us.
No one deserves salvation. It cannot be earned by what the...
HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ASKED A QUESTION ABOUT SOMETHING IN THE BIBLE AND WHEN YOU TELL THEM WHAT YOU BELIEVE, THEY TELL YOU THAT YOU ARE WRONG? I HAVE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT IT BEING A SIN TO CARVE AN ANIMAL OR SOMETHING OUT OF A PALM TREE TRUNK AND I SAID THAT ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURE, I DID NOT BELIEVE IT WAS A SIN. THEY ASKED ME WHAT I DID WITH THE SECOND OF THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, DEUTERONOMY 5:8, WHICH READS IN THE KING JAMES VERSION "Thou shalt not make thee any graven image, or any likeness of...