Conversations with Ray Martinez

The main question is, do things happen by chance? If they do, then one can speak of someone being lucky or unlucky. But if they do not happen by chance, then it is inappropriate to use those terms. Much of what Ecclesiastes shares is from the perspective of a person who looks at life on earth without God, or life “under the sun.” From such a perspective—leaving God out of the picture—there seems t...

I've questioned myself many times if my simple desire to please God was enough or satisfying to God. I think God wants me to obey because I want to please him. But he also wants me to obey because I agree with him about what is right and good. He wants my mind as well as my heart to be aligned with his.  People often say that the three words they most love to hear are  “I love you.” Runn...

Do we put our wait time to good use?  The LA Times says that we spend about five years waiting in lines. There are times in our lives when God calls us to wait so that he can help us work on our hearts, our minds, our attitudes, and even our health. Sometimes during these waiting experiences, God helps us to understand what’s been slowing us down. Once God gets us back to our “firm place,” we...

What does the Bible say about legalism? How can Christians avoid falling into the trap of legalism? The word "legalism" doesn’t occur in the Bible. It is a term Christians use to describe a doctrinal position emphasizing a system of rules and regulations for achieving both salvation and spiritual growth. Those who hold a legalistic position often fail to see the real purpose for law, especially th...

Christians attain self-worth and esteem by having a right relationship with God. We can know we are valuable because of the high price God paid for us through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. In one sense, low self-esteem is the opposite of pride.  In another sense, low-self-esteem is a form of pride. Some people have low self-esteem because they want people to feel sorry for them, to pay...

The Bible teaches that to be human is to image God and to image God is to be human. In this unique relationship with humanity, God is giving to humans a special moral status and vesting them with dignity and respect. The structural view of the image of God points to certain qualities or abilities that distinguish humans from animals – rational capacity, volition, moral awareness, and consciousness...

Paul is speaking in this passage of the fact that when Jesus died, he had Paul and Paul’s sin in his own body. Paul owed a great penalty for his own grievous sin, and Jesus paid it. Paul’s sin was imputed to Christ, and Christ’s righteousness was imputed to Paul. This, of course, was not just for Paul, but for everyone who believes in the name of Jesus and puts their faith in him to save them by h...

The English word "apology" comes from a Greek word which basically means "to give a defense." Christian apologetics, then, is the science of giving a defense of the Christian faith. There are many skeptics who doubt the existence of God and/or attack belief in the God of the Bible. There are many critics who attack the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible. There are many false teachers who promo...

Several New Testament passages do give us important ingredients that should be part of a healthy local church. While some churches are labeled as "liturgical" because of their very formal and predetermined order and manner of worship, all churches to some degree have a format that they typically follow. What is the difference between worship and liturgy? According to Andrews University:  it i...

Our City Council wants Rank Choice Voting in the City of Fort Collins, CO.  Why?  What's the matter with the way they were voted into office?  This should be an initiative from the people, not the Council.  Almost 70% of Rank Choice Voting Elections did not produce a majority winner.  Many votes are tossed out because the voters chose not to rank any one in a specified ord...

The Bible gives the good news that Jesus paid the price for our sin (Ephesians 1:7), yet in many ways we still suffer the consequences of our sins. Coming to Christ does not erase the temporal effects of sin; rather, our salvation guarantees that we will not face the eternal consequences of sin. On the basis of Christ’s perfect sacrifice, those who believe are no longer under God’s condemnation (R...

Have you ever read a portion of the Bible and felt absolutely captivated by it to the point where you can’t get it out of your head? At times words we read enthrall our every waking moment. That's the power of the gospel that we are experiencing. Jesus taught the religious, preached the good news of the kingdom to all who would hear, and healed people who had sicknesses and diseases on a regular b...

Some propose that Jesus is speaking of financial poverty, that He is advocating being poor so that riches and possession don’t come between us and God. While it is true that Jesus elsewhere warned against seeking riches (Matthew 6:24), that wasn’t Jesus’ point in Matthew 5:3. Jesus is speaking of being “poor in spirit”; i.e., being “spiritually poor.”  In the beatitudes, Jesus is concerned wi...

The concept of knowing whose word to pay attention to has precedent in Scripture. “False prophets” are still with us. “Experts” dispense advice while ignoring God altogether or twisting His words to suit their purposes. We have seen this occur on the pulpit, social media and many other electronic venues. I’ve Watched television evangelism or ministers that want to mail you a handkerchief that will...

In India, animals are worth more than the human. In Hatti, people think they are cursed. Anyone can curse another with Voodoo. What do you do if you feel like you are cursed? Everyone who doesn’t trust Jesus is cursed. The Scripture says: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us.” If we only had faith in Christ, the curse is lifted. This is a clear message of u...

The "blasphemy challenge" is an internet-based project that invites young people to submit videos to Youtube or other video internet hosts, in which they record themselves blaspheming or denying the existence of the Holy Spirit. The Pharisees said that the work of Jesus by the Holy Spirit was really the devil's work. Nobody should say that the work of God is Satan’s work. God will forgive anyone w...

The call of Jesus was straight forward….come and follow me. Another way to translate that is “come and be my disciple."  In the first century world, Discipleship was the apex of the Jewish education system.  There were three levels to Jewish education. The terminology, “Christian” is used 2 or 3 times in the new testament and only in a negative light. Whereas disciple is used 268 times i...

My cousin, Curt Moore, passed away on April 3, 2022 @ 11:20pm.  The family asked me to deliver the eulogy, which I am very grateful about, for the Mass that was held April 23, 2022 at 1:00pm.  Cousin Joannie Moore conducted the Rosary on behalf of the family as well.  Curt will always reside in our hearts forever more.  He leaves us a legacy of friendship, family, and loyalty i...

The average person has more than 6,000 thoughts in a single day. That’s a lot of thinking! There are so many distractions in our lives. Even with the chaotic pace of our days, there are quick and simple ways to focus on being mindful. The practice of mindfulness is simply bringing awareness to the current moment, without judgement. God wants us to take our thoughts deep inside our minds and stay f...

The believer’s power over sin and the ability to lead a new life stem from identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. From God’s perspective, Jesus’ death to sin is ours as well. His rising to new life means that we also begin to lead a new life, and in the future our bodies will also be raised. In scholastic achievments, we can read a book and know what it says, but we may not...

The timing of the rapture in relation to the tribulation is one of the most controversial issues in the church today. First, it is important to recognize the purpose of the tribulation. According to Daniel 9:27, there is a seventieth "seven" (seven years) that is still yet to come. While this does not necessarily indicate that the church could not also be present, it does bring into question why t...

Experiments, and research has uncovered an astonishing number of poor health outcomes that result when we are deprived of touch. The correlation between anxiety, depression and stress and touch is large and inversely related. There is something about “touching” that is so relevant and needed not only for healing, but for comfort, and a unique way of communicating.  The laying on of hands was...

Yes, the miracles of the Bible are to be taken literally, just as all Scripture is to be taken literally, except those portions which are clearly intended to be symbolic.  Each of the miracles in the Bible served a purpose and accomplished something that couldn't be accomplished in any other way.  Once we begin to doubt the reality of any miracle, we have to discount everything the Bible...

You've undoubtedly seen the ubiquitous Capital One ad campaign featuring celebrities asking that now famous question “What's In Your Wallet?” The company wanted to use the quote because it's an interesting question. The stuff in our wallet represents financial security, purchase power, and prosperity. Today we’re gonna be talking about what’s in your toolbox or what’s in your wallet. How do we use...

Being and serving one another is scripturally based for sure.  Let’s think of some other scriptures, from the Words of Jesus, that discusses the idea of “one another”.  If we don’t know how to comfort one another, Paul teaches us that God  is “the source of all comfort.”  Follow in his steps, one step at a time. We are taught to accept one another, to forgive one another, serve...