Words From Our Preacher

“My kingdom is not of this world…” John 18:36 There is much confusion surrounding the kingdom of God and the kingdoms of earth. Christians, citizens of God’s kingdom, live in and under earthly governments. But just because God approves of earthly governance does not mean those governments are identical, or even parallel to, the kingdom of Christ. Often, they are enemies of the cross of Christ. We must distinguish between the heavenly and earthly authorities. There was a brie

“Is there any word from the Lord?” – Jeremiah 37:17 The young man’s face betrayed the tension that lay beneath his words. “I believe in God, and I pray every day. But for some reason, God isn’t answering my prayers.” His words became softer as he continued, “I guess I’m doing something wrong.” His plight is not different from that of many Christians. In times of trouble, our petitions seem to fall upon a deafened Divine. Our expectations are unmet. Sadness, confusion, and des

Since Satan is our enemy or adversary (1 Peter 5:8), we must learn as much about him and his ways as we can. As Sun Tzu, the famed Chinese general once said: “know thy enemy.” By knowing our enemy, we are better prepared to meet his attacks. Paul reminded the brothers in Corinth that “we are not ignorant of his designs.” Understanding the origin of Satan will help us to glorify God and will prevent us from making serious biblical errors. The first we ever hear of Satan is in

Previously, three periods of time were addressed during which God dealt differently with people. Those periods are the Patriarchal, Mosaic, and Christian. In this article, we examine the Patriarchal age in greater detail. Beginnings After Creation, God spoke directly to Adam and Eve (Genesis 1:28). There are no middlemen, no priests, and no written word from Jehovah. God told Adam and Eve what he wanted them to know. He warned them and guided them directly. When sin occurred,

God has dealt with men differently through the ages. A misunderstanding of these periods or dispensations can have a profound impact on understanding God’s word today. Denominations base some of their worship practices on the law of Moses as if it were normative today. Supporters of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender (LGBT) agenda, assert that biblical injunctions condemning their actions are similar to other Old Testament teachings like animal sacrifice, slavery, an

As I write this morning I am sitting in our front room looking out onto two bird feeders. It’s still early morning, the shadows are slowly retreating, and I expect the arrival of the birds soon. They are so small and delicate. Yet they weather every storm without harm. For them, food never seems to be an issue. Even when I let the feeders empty they still seem to find food somewhere. The neighborhood cat patrols the area, but I have never seen him with one in his mouth. God t

Elsewhere in the news we hear of other barbaric events. A 10 year old girl was strapped with explosives and sent into a crowded market. The bomb was detonated killing her and at least 20 others.  In my area a man was sentenced to death this week for murdering his 3 and 4 year old children by choking them to death. His wife goes on trial next. There is plenty of death and destruction to talk about. But consider that every description declares or implies these events to be bad

was back to his usual health. I remember taking him for a walk in nearby woods. The sun set too fast and we were in darkness. The fastest way home was through a patch of recently cut brush. On most days Shorty would have been just fine and would have hopped along happily as he followed. But not this night. Everywhere he turned there was more brush and debris that he could not climb over. He was trapped. Every direction was blocked. But I was there with him. So I eased him int

Just when you thought it was safe to look at your calendar again we learn that the world is ending again, this week. In fact, it seems that end time events are already in progression and that the passage of time is already slowing. By Monday evening, time will stop at precisely 7:30 PM, local time. About three hours later the world will have come to an end for a large number of people. For those, life will end and only a dark misery will remain which will govern their lives f

Evil is real. We need to understand that the devil is as real as Jesus although, thankfully, he is not as powerful as our Lord. Many are asking questions today about the Connecticut shooting. People want to why such a thing could happen in a peaceful town. Some are questioning God and asking why a loving God would allow such a thing to happen. Others only want to know how to get through the day in the face of such horror. There are answers to their questions but now may not b

We have previously spoken about John 3:16 in an effort to remind our readers of some overlooked aspects of the verse. But to better complete the study I will consider the great love evident in this short verse: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God’s love is enormous. His capacity to love, in spite of our failings, is nothing short of incredible. In the Golden Text we se

Most take a quick look at themselves before leaving home each morning. A quick check confirms that hair is properly styled, that clothes are neatly fitted and that no evidence of breakfast remains on the teeth. Throughout the day we often sneak another peak just to make sure nothing has changed. We want to look our best. But what we see and what others see may be different especially when we think of the intangible qualities; those internal characteristics that make us unique

The ancients often looked to the skies and saw their gods outlined in the stars above. The Greeks believed Orion was a great hunter who was blinded by his father but eventually had his eyesight restored. At his death on the island of Crete Orion was placed among the stars by the Greek god Zeus. This mythology is quite late to the Orion story. The constellation was known as far back as the days of Job (Job 9:9; Job 38:31). In the passage from chapter 38 God asks Job if he has

I’m sitting in the middle of nowhere right now. I’m in the woods and a long way from the busy world. I’m sitting under an old water oak and just noticing God. A few minutes ago a single orange butterfly came by. Soon it was joined by two more. Now the three are happily frolicking around a bush about 50 feet away. Before that a squirrel popped his out just above me. He quickly scurried off but then three more came out just across the small glade from where I sit. Like the bu

It’s over. The battle has been fought. We lost. It’s true, science has finally beaten the Bible. New Age spiritualist Deepak Chopra, a friend of Michael Jackson, Oprah Winfrey and an author of many self-help books has offered two pronouncements: Science has won over Genesis and organized religion is unnecessary. The Indian born American educated M.D. He opines: I’m thinking instead of Charles Darwin, whose theory of evolution has proved victorious over the Book of Genesis an

The Minor Prophets are one of five subsets of the Old Testament. The other four being the Pentateuch, History, Wisdom Literature and the Major Prophets. The grouping includes the books of Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. Far from being a collection of obscure prophecies from people with strange names the 12 books contain vital lessons on the great God of Heaven. Both His angry wrath against sin and His tender

God hears prayers. Do we hear God? When God speaks He speaks loudly. But sometimes He seems so far away. We have real and immediate problems and we pray for his guidance yet it never seems to come. If God really cares then he shouldn’t seem so far away. God loves us deeply and cares immensely for us. Could it be that we are not really listening? Or maybe God is not saying the things we want to hear so we filter Him out. Communication requires both a sender and a receiver. The

The first verse of the Bible says a lot. “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” God marks the beginning and ending of all we know. He was present at the first sunrise and will be the one to bring everything to an end. It’s hard to think about but God came before the beginning. He caused the beginning. Sometimes God is described as the prime force or the first cause. God alone is sufficient to be the first cause he remains outside of our Creation and far bey

Have you ever heard someone say, “I just can’t understand the Bible!” Or maybe this one, “Well, that’s just your interpretation. Ask 10 people what a verse means and you will get 10 different answers.” I’m sure you have either heard these comments or maybe even made them yourself. Truthfully, they are bogus. That’s right, nonsense. Don’t you think that sometimes those are just convenient crutches to avoid a teaching or conclusion that people do not like? I think so. My thesis

Eastern Shore profited greatly last night from a lesson from Dr. Randall Bailey of Faulkner University. In fact, Bailey knocked it out of the park with a lesson primarily from the Old Testament but with major New Testament implications. He demonstrated God’s holiness through his tabernacle instructions and his demand for holiness and purity through the associated affairs of the temple. We were reminded that when the Temple was disgraced by Israel’s sinfulness and idolatry God