Blogs
Satan has secretly infiltrated the Church with some of his followers for the purpose of hindering the influence of the Church. This has been a more effective strategy than direct opposition.
These tares that are spoken of refer to the Old World variety of darnel, which is poisonous. Virtually all grains are almost indistinguishable from tares when they send up the first blade from the ground. By the time the tares become distinguishable, they are so well rooted that, if growing in close proximity to a productive grain, uprooting the tares would also mean uprooting the productive grain. Therefore, verse 30 admonishes us to let both grow together until the harvest. The grains of the tares are long and black in contrast to the wheat, and are easily recognizable...
Just as a candle or lamp is not to be hid, but rather displayed so that everyone can benefit from its light, so a Christian must let his light so shine before men that they might see his good works and glorify his Father which is in heaven. God has ordained us to go and bring forth fruit (Jn. 15:16). The great commission of the Church is to reach the world.
The early Christians experienced the love of Christ in an intimate and life-transforming way. This motivated them to reach their known world with the Gospel of Christ more than any other generation of Christians has since. They didn't have the benefits of our modern technology, but they did have the benefit of being full of the love of Christ. Experiencing the love of Christ causes...
IN PRAYING THIS MORNING FOR OUR CHILDREN IN THE ARMED FORCES, THE VERSE MATTHEW 18:19 CAME TO MIND WHERE JESUS SAYS "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."
I HAVE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE IN TALKING ABOUT GETTING A PRAYER PARTNER TO PRAY WITH EVERY DAY. IT CAN BE YOUR SPOUSE, A RELATIVE OR A FRIEND. YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE TOGETHER TO DO THIS. IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE YOU CAN CALL ON THE PHONE, EVEN IN ANOTHER STATE, THAT WILL WORK. THE MAIN THING IS AGREEING ON WHAT YOU ARE PRAYING FOR.
This third type of ground is characteristic of a large part of the Body of Christ today. These are people who have received God's Word, committed themselves to it to the degree that they are able to remain faithful in persecution, but because of being occupied with the affairs of this life, the Word sown in their heart is choked and no fruit is produced. Just as weeds in a garden will steal all of the nutrients and starve the plant, so the pleasures of this life, if we allow them to dominate our thinking, will stop the fruit that the Word would have produced.
Throughout history, the Church has always grown in size and strength during persecution. This is because during...
WHEN YOU ARE IN CHURCH LISTENING TO THE PREACHER OR TEACHER, OR LISTENING TO A MINISTER ON THE RADIO OR TV, ARE YOU REALLY LISTENING TO LEARN ABOUT GOD OR ARE YOU TRYING TO FIND SOME FAULT IN WHAT THEY ARE SAYING? I KNOW PEOPLE WHO DO THIS. I KNOW WE ARE SUPPOSED TO SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT WE ARE BEING TAUGHT LINES UP WITH GOD'S WORD, HOWEVER, I BELIEVE IT IS WRONG TO JUST TRY TO FIND FAULT WITH A TEACHING WITHOUT FIRST CHECKING IT OUT.
The second type of person Jesus describes is one who does receive the Word, even with great joy, but his commitment to the Word is shallow. Just as a plant must establish a strong root system to sustain its growth, so we must become rooted and grounded in God's Word. Too much attention on visible growth will cause us to become impatient and not take the time to become firmly established in the truths of God's Word. This will always result in fruitlessness.
A seed planted in shallow earth will germinate and grow faster than a seed planted in deep soil. The seed in deep soil will put all of its energy towards the roots first while the seed in shallow soil has no choice but to put its effort into the growth of the plant...
WHY DO YOU PRAY? IS IT TO ASK GOD FOR SOMETHING YOU DESIRE? PSALMS 37:4 SAYS "Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." IS IT TO ASK FOR HEALING OR TO PROSPER? DO YOU PRAY FOR A LOVE ONE TO BE SAVED? THESE ARE ALL GOOD PRAYERS BUT WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT PRAYER?
The first type of person Jesus describes is someone who doesn't understand God's Word (Mt. 13:19). Before God's Word can penetrate your heart, you have to understand (not comprehend) what it's saying. If the Word isn't understood, then it will be like seed scattered on top of hard-packed ground (the wayside). The birds will eat the seed and there will be no fruit.
Mark 4:15 and Luke 8:12, make it clear that these birds represent Satan, and Mark says the devil comes immediately to steal away the Word. Satan did not have direct access to the Word in any of the other heart-types which Jesus described. Satan cannot steal the Word from us if we will hide it in our hearts (Ps. 119:11). This first type of person...
STRESS CAN COME IN MANY FORMS, SOME WORSE THAN OTHERS. YOU MIGHT THINK IT IS STRESSFUL WHEN YOU ARE LATE GETTING TO A PARTY OR THE TRAFFIC IS BAD AND YOU ARE RUNNING LATE FOR WORK. WHAT IF YOU HAVE LOST YOUR JOB AND YOU HAVE NO MONEY FOR RENT OR TO BUY FOOD FOR THE KIDS? THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE STRESS LEVELS, RIGHT?
IT CAN GET UGLY BUT, PRAISE GOD, WE HAVE A WAY OUT. MATTHEW 11:28-30 SAYS "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy...