Seeking the Gospel Truth

Growing up Catholic and even later as a Progressive Protestant, I knew  the Holy Spirit existed as part of the Holy Trinity, but I had no idea  of His power and that I had access to that power. Moreover, I had no clue that the Holy Spirit could dwell in my heart! I thought that was something that the crazy Pentecostals did. That wasn't for me! How wrong I was! Keep reading in my blog whe...

Continuing in our deconstruction of the  Apostles’ or Nicene Creed, today we come to the resurrection, which is a  key belief in Christianity. If Jesus wasn’t resurrected , then we’ve got no hope. In 1 Corinthians 15 — which is also referred to as a creed for Christian believers — the Apostle Paul tells us… 12 But if it is  preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, ho...

We continue our deconstructing of the Apostles’ Creed — The Core of Our  Beliefs. Today we talk about historical record. Jesus’ trial before  Pontius Pilot, the Roman Governor at the time. There are some powerful  words in this next section that we take for granted. Let’s stop and  ponder them… Keep reading in my blog.... If you truly want to be born again and have the assuranc...

The next part of the Apostles’ Creed is the  Christmas or Nativity story. God comes down from heaven and becomes  human. This is the greatest love story ever written! We humans did not  and could never work our own way out of sin. So God, who loved us so  much, sent His only Son… As Jesus told Nicodemus that night… “For this is how God loved the  world: He gave his one and...

What you profess to believe in is an important part of your life. Yesterday, I spoke about the history of the creed that many Christian churches ,  spanning denominations, hold as their true beliefs. Growing up  Catholic, I rattled off the Apostles’ Creed by memory. However, it  wasn’t until I started reading the Bible daily that what I was professing in that creed was way bigger th...

The Apostles’ Creed is the statement of the core beliefs of  Christianity. The Creed itself has been revised over and over by  different churches and denominations. Phrases were added, removed,  changed, and edited. I remember having to memorize if for either First  Communion or Confirmation. The problem with that, is I could rattle it  off, but I had no concept of it’s tr...

In listening to ThroughTheWord’s lesson on Galatians chapter 6, Pastor Kris Langham said something very interesting. The word “ religion ”  actually means re-bind-up. Think of the word “ligature”, which means “a  thing used for tying or binding something tightly.” Now, that was an  eye-opening revelation! I remember as a kid growing up Catholic, I was m...

Galatians chapter 5 is one of my favorite chapters. In it, Paul talks  about freedom and fruit! Good stuff! I did a podcast on the Fruit of the  Spirit as one of the 22 benefits of the salvation of Jesus Christ and it’s embedded towards the bottom. So, let’s dig into Paul’s letter  to the Galatians. It starts with a potent declaration of the truth.... Keep reading in my blog where y...

Imago Deo — In the image of God. God made us that way! It’s in Genesis… Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. Genesis 1:26 NLT “Our image”… “to be like us” — us? Who’s the us? That’s God, the  Father, Jesus, the son and the Holy Spirit — our triune God – the Holy  Trinity. But we are not God’s children until we invite Jesus into our  hearts and He giv...

OK, so my title could be worded more grammatically-correct, but it gets the point across of Galatians chapter  3. In this chapter, Paul clearly explains the difference between faith  vs. works and grace vs. law. It answers the question… What Makes a Person Righteous in God’s Sight? Paul writes… Keep reading in my blog... If you want to reap all the benefits of salvation including the 1-w...

We continue our walk through Paul’s letter to the Galatians. In chapter 1, Paul explained the problem in the Galatian churches — they were listening to false teachers — fake news — who told them  that they must follow the Jewish law to be saved. That you’re not just  saved by grace and faith — which is the true Gospel. The book of Galatians can be divided into 3 parts… 1 and 2 – Paul def...

I have a love-hate relationship with social  media. I need to use it for my business and to help spread the Gospel of  Jesus Christ, however, it’s full of FAKE NEWS! Moreover, it’s really  hard to distinguish what’s true and what’s fake! You have to go to  resources like Snopes or Just Facts to verify if it’s true or not. Likewise it is with the Good News of Jesus Christ or the...

We humans can never be perfect. Only Jesus is  perfect. So, even after we repent of our sins — that is, stop sinning —  how do we stay repented? It’s not easy. Satan’s whole purpose in  existing is to tempt us and prevent us from staying repented. Satan will try distracting us so  we don’t read the Bible every day. He’ll say to us, “Oh, you’re too  tired to go to church on...

We’re halfway through 2020 and the scary thing is — it’s not over yet!  We still have 6 more months to go. The presidential election is about 3  months away and the battle is just getting hot. In Arizona, we’re back  in lock-down, shutdown, and stay-at-home mode as more and more cases of  COVID-19 are diagnosed. And now I read that there’s a mutant strain of the coronavirus tha...

The short answer is — NO! Do you call yourself a Christian? Why? Is it because you… grew up attending a church with your family? were “born” in that denomination? Like I was born Catholic, to Catholic parents on a Catholic island. aren’t Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or Hindu, so you must be Christian? attend a church every Sunday? attend a church every Christmas and Easter? grew up forced to attend a...

There's no doubt that our nation -- and our world -- are both going  through some tough times. Yet hardships are a part of life -- even the  lives of Christian believers. Jesus never said that once we become  born-again, saved believers that life would be smooth and wonderful. In  fact, we were warned several times in the New Testament that we would go  through trials, har...

We’re told by Jesus in Matthew 6:33 that if we  seek FIRST the Kingdom of God, He will provide everything that we NEED.  That’s “Jehovah Jirah” — “The God who Provides”. Everything that we own,  we have it because God let us have it. But that’s a lesson on  stewardship and I’m not going there today. Besides our “daily bread” or needs, we also long for or “thirst” for a  re...

With all the fake news we have to weed through on social media these days, it's hard to imagine that we also have to weed through false Christian teachers. This is tough because some of these folks have strong voices. They're very charismatic. And they have huge followings. I'm not going to tell you who to listen to and not to listen to. My purpose in this article is to show you the warnings in th...

What is Your Reason for Going to Church? Is it… To be seen? Because your parents or spouse said so? Because you were born ________ Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, whatever? To feel good? To sing in the choir or play in the band? Because you’re drawn to God but you don’t know why? Because you’re searching for answers? To worship and praise God and hopefully hear a good sermon/message that speaks...

This morning as I started my day with God, one of my devotionals gave me  the title of today's blog and podcast. Unless I'm doing a series like  the Book of Romans or the Book of Revelation ,  I have a topic in mind -- the Kingdom of God -- but as for the material  of the actual article, I leave it up to the Holy Spirit and God. And  the Sermon title and topic at my church...

The Kingdom of God is very colorful! Born-again, evangelical Christian  believers come in all skin tones, all ethnicities, nationalities,  tribes, social statuses, education levels, and economic levels. Look at  how the church is growing in nations around the world... Keep reading in my blog ... there are links to sources of stats and other links for deeper study.... If you truly wa...

Ever since I moved to Phoenix, Arizona, 14 years  ago, I’ve enjoyed hiking the many trails in the area. Some are easy and  I can hike them at a good pace. The steeper ones are more difficult and  sometimes, very narrow. One slip on a rock and you’re tumbling down the  side of the mountain. These trails remind me of life. Sometimes we have it easy and sometimes, the way seems li...

Then what's stopping you? Are you looking in the wrong places? Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (or justice),    for they will be filled. Matthew 5:6 NIV When you're hungry, you eat. Once you're full, you're satisfied and happy. In a few hours, guess what? You're hungry again and then you eat again. That's how huma...

The Gospel of Jesus Christ — what does the word “gospel” mean exactly? Click on over to my blog for more... “And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.” ~‭‭Matthew‬ ‭24:14‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 
 Prepare ye the way of the Lord!  If you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation and a 1-w...

We pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven. Is God's Kingdom already here? Actually, yes it is. Every time a sinner repents of ALL their sins and invites Jesus into his or her heart, that's another small piece of God's Kingdom that comes down from Heaven. Each new born-again believer immediately becomes part of the family of God. They become a child of God. The phrase “Kingdom o...