A WHOLE MAN

Philippians 4:8 "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things" Hugh Heffner, the founder of Playboy Magazine, passed away at the age of 91 and although he is gone, his impact on the culture and sexuality is one that will far outlive him. Some may say that he built an empire and affected the world at large for the better which he would agree with. Heffner is quoted in his magazine as saying, "If you don't encourage healthy sexual expression in public, you get unhealthy sexual expression in private. If you attempt to suppress sex in books, magazines, movies and even everyday conversation, you aren't helping to make sex more private, just more hidden. You're keeping sex in the dark. What we've tried to do is turn on the lights,” But was his influence for the better? ...

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper. 2  Every branch in Me that does not produce fruit He removes, and He prunes every branch that produces fruit so that it will produce more fruit. 3  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4  Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5  “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without Me." John 15:1-5 (HCSB) It is likely that you have heard some time in your life that true believers will bear fruit as evidence of their salvation. Even Jesus proclaimed this in the Sermon on the Mount that every good tree bears good fruit and that the fruit a person bears is one distinguishing mark of judging whether a person was a false or true prophet (Matthew 7:15-20). No matter who we are...

"Jesus said, 'If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32) Truth without love is brutality, love without truth is hypocrisy. Brothers and Sisters of the faith, stand for truth and stand in love. God remains faithful and His Word endures forever. Although it has been a troubling and sad week find hope knowing that He never changes. Preach the Gospel, pray and fast, and obey his commands. For Jesus says, "If you love me, keep my commands." (John 14:15) “Read those newspapers which represent the Broad School of Dissent, and ask yourself, How much farther could they go? What doctrine remains to be abandoned? What other truth to be the object of contempt? A new religion has been initiated, which is no more Christianity than chalk is chees; and this religion, being destitute of moral honesty, palms itself off as the old faith with slight improvements, and on this plea us...

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 (NKJV) To be an ambassador for Christ means that we are always living a life, full of words and deeds, that is Christ-like. The cliché WWJD was huge in the ‘90’s, but should not be overlooked in the 2010’s. This simple question can draw us towards seeking the face of God to conform us into His likeness when asked and applied correctly in all areas of our lives. But asking the question is never enough, we must also take steps to do what Jesus would do. WWJD.4- On Abortion The debate around abortion seems to be one that is unending, but when understood biblically, life begins upon conception (Job 10:8-12) and therefore should be both treasured and cared for. Additionally, regardless of how life was conceived whether it is between two consenting adults or a case where rape is involved, terminating life is always wrong and is murder of life (Gen ...

“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17 (NKJV) To be an ambassador for Christ means that we are always living a life, full of words and deeds, that is Christ-like. The cliché WWJD was huge in the ‘90’s, but should not be overlooked in the 2010’s. This simple question can draw us towards seeking the face of God to conform us into His likeness when asked and applied correctly in all areas of our lives. But asking the question is never enough, we must also take steps to do what Jesus would do. WWJD.3- On Alcohol A growing area of ambiguity can be found on a Christian’s relationship with alcohol. Are there cases when drinking is prohibited and others when it is allowed? According to Scripture, drinking alcoholic beverages is not a sin and in some cases it is even spoken of in positive terms (Ecc 9:7; Ps 104:14-15; Amos 9:4; Isa 55:1; 1 Tim 5:23 [To name a few]). However, just because it is...

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors…” 2 Corinthians 5:20a (NIV) To be an ambassador for Christ means that we are always living a life, full of words and deeds, that are Christ-like. The cliché WWJD was huge in the ‘90’s, but should not be overlooked in the 2010’s. This simple question can draw us towards seeking the face of God to conform us into His likeness when asked and applied correctly in all areas of our lives. But asking the question is never enough, we must also take steps to do what Jesus would do. WWJD.2- On Sexuality We live in a time where sex is everywhere. We see it in our movies, hear it in our songs, drive past the billboards about them, and even get spam e-mails about it. The inundation of sex has been detrimental to our society by devaluing it and stigmatizing those who practice abstinence. However, this is not something that is new to our generation but rather has existed for many millennia. When addressing the view of Biblical sexuality it is important to de...

“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.” Proverbs 24:11 (NIV) In the last post, I briefly touched on the point of how the Word of God is relevant in all areas of our lives and that when we are faced with temptations of any kind at work, school, home, etc, we should firmly stand on the Word in order to overcome. I concluded by claiming that we should ask ourselves the question WWJD (What Would Jesus Do) to all areas of our lives as we live with a Christian Worldview.  WWJD.1- How did we get here? We have come a long way since the times of the early church yet the message of the Gospel has not changed in the slightest, the power of the Gospel has not diminished and the relevancy of it in our lives has not expired. The problem, as I see it, is the same mistake that Eve fell into when she “saw that the fruit of the tree was …desirable for gaining wisdom” (Gen 3:6). The problem was that her desire and love for God was turned away from Him ...