James:
James tells us there are two kinds of people... those who "do" and those who "hear and refuse to do." And the difference between them is profound. One is "blessed in all that he does" and the other is "self-deceived." Which one are you? Where are the men and women of God who hear the Word and strive, with all that is in them, to obey what it says... no matter what? Where are they? Where have they gone? What happened to the remnant?
Hebrews:
The following from Hebrews 6 is probably one of the most hotly debated passages in the New Testament. And I simply can't figure out why? For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. You know, there is more here than meets the eye. Much more. Listen to find out what all the fuss is about.
Early in the book of Isaiah he states: "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple." From that moment on, everything in Isaiah's life changed. Have you ever had an encounter with the Lord that has changed everything? Has the Lord ever revealed Himself to you in such a way that everything this world has to offer suddenly seemed nothing more than junk or rubbish or, to quote the Apostle Paul, dung? Have you experienced an intimacy with the Lord that dwarfs all others? If you have a stirring in your soul for something more, something deeper, in your walk with Christ... well, keep listening.
When we talk about the Bema Seat Judgment of Christ which, by the way, is the very gateway to the second of two great inheritances we receive from the Lord, several questions arise. One, what will be judged at the Bema Seat? Two, who will face that judgment? Everyone? The lost only? Believers? Three, when will this judgment take place? Four, what is the result of this judgment? Or, what happens if we come up short? These are many questions that, for most, demand an answer. Want to know more? Then keep listening.
The Kingdom:
When I think of the Apostle Paul I do not think about a man who could be scared or frightened of just about anything. Instead, I envision Paul as a man who would look danger and death in the face and proclaim that it is better to die and be with Christ than to live apart from Him. For Paul, death was gain. But there was something that frightened Paul to the very depths of his being. There was something that kept his behavior in check, something that became the sovereign judge of his motives and thoughts and something that kept him up at night. And it is something that never enters the mind of a Christian today. Intrigued? Good. Then keep listening to find out more.
The Kingdom:
When Bible commentators speak of the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God they usually group the two together and conclude that they are simply different names for the same, identical kingdoms. Matthew chooses to use Kingdom of Heaven and Luke, for example, likes the phrase Kingdom of God. But they are both talking about the same thing. Nothing could be further from the truth! The Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God are not the same. One is the all-encompassing reality of all that God creates outside Himself and the other is a literal Kingdom where Jesus will rule on earth for 1,000 years from Jerusalem. "So what does this have to do with me?" you ask. Oh, much. Very much. Keep listening to find out.
