Brothers and Sisters,
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness. (James 3)
Please read James 3. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. (James 2)
When a member of the church is sick very rarely prayer alone will make the sick recover. The prayers of the brothers and sisters need to be matched by their love in actions. I mean: money, food, their compassion, their presence, all will contribute to the quick recovery of the sick person. The Holy Spirit says, "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." We can pray for the person from January untill December, if we are not intentionally showing love to the person our prayers will have little effect. It should be more love, less prayer. Our love is a prayer.
Please read James 2. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. (James 1)
God is more interested in your joy than your sadness. Looking toward the future with God at your side is more fruitful than thinking about a past that you cannot do anything about.
Please read James 1. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
20 Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21 equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13)
Please read Hebrews 13. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. (Hebrews 11)
God is rewarder. Many Christians do not know this truth, or refuse to embrace the truth that God will reward those who earnestly seek him. Are you earnestly seeking God? Do you expect your reward from God?
Please read Hebrews 10 - 11. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
4 For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. (Hebrews 10)
The verse is talking about us Christians who profess the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. By his sacrifice Jesus has made us perfect forever.
Please read Hebrews 9 - 10. And Listen!
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
23 Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; 24 but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews 7)
What does it mean by "save completely?" Our salvation is a complete package. We can be protected from every difficult situation. All that we need to do is call on the name of the Lord.
Please read Hebrews 7 - 8. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
10 God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. (Hebrews 6)
Please read Hebrews 5 - 6. And Listen!
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4)
Please read Hebrews 3 - 4. And Listen!
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. 2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4 God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. (Hebrews 2)
Where the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is preached, the people should desire to see the testimony of God by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. Since was the last time you've seen a move of God in your church?
Please read Hebrews 1 - 2. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
16 no longer as a slave, but better than a slave, as a dear brother. He is very dear to me but even dearer to you, both as a fellow man and as a brother in the Lord. (Philemon)
There is no biblical basis for the slave owners of the Southern part of United States to have hidden behind a few misinterpreted verses of the Bible to justify their practice of slavery. Paul urged Philemon to no longer consider Onesimus as a slave but as a dear brother, thus destroying a biblical justification of the institution of slavery which considers a black person inferior to a white person.
Please read Philemon. And Listen!
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3)
This verse is a beautiful verse that tells us about the graciousness of God in our salvation. God saved us just because of his mercy. This is part of the Gospel presentation about God's justice and God's love. Sometimes we may feel not that saved, but we trust the word of God that tells is, "God saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mery." His love endures forever.
Please read Titus 3. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. (Titus 2)
In Acts 2:21 we read "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" This promise is for every situation: spiritual, physical, emotional, financial and etc. All we need to do is call on the name of the Lord. Lord, save me.
Please read Titus 2. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient. 7 Since an overseer manages God’s household, he must be blameless—not overbearing, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not pursuing dishonest gain. 8 Rather, he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined. 9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1)
Please read Titus 1. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!
Brothers and Sisters,
3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4)
In these last days that all Christians need to dedicate themselves to the reading of the Bible for themselves. There is a great temptation for pastors and preachers to preach what the people want to hear and to leave out what would offend the majority of the people. So the protection against being fed only the light portion of Scriptures is to read the whole Bible and let the Holy Spirit speak to you.
Please read 2 Timothy 3 - 4. And Listen.
May the Lord richly bless you!