the Apostle John, also known as John the Revelator, lived before discipleship as a fisherman. John and his brother, James, were headed by their father Zebedee in the family business. having been in the Navy, i can attest to some of the personalities you will find upon the seas. the customs of the times were…
Read moredrink of the cup
most of us do not like the idea of being uncomfortable. not to mention using the word suffering when referring to our state. Paul wrote, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8: 17,…
Read morecondensed salvation
i taught a teenage and early high school-aged Sunday school class for years. from time to time, we would have a visitor or someone unfamiliar with the Apostolic doctrine. in these cases, i would always cover fundamental salvation doctrine before the end of class time. this material gave the individual something to think about, perhaps…
Read morethe witness
i recently received a letter in the mail from a return address that included the name “Julie.” this envelope and message were hand-written in cursive with beautiful penmanship. it is rare to see handwriting on an envelope among advertisements and credit card applications these days. i was intrigued. i made my way up the driveway…
Read morethe plane captain
i currently work at an airport, and if you have the opportunity to observe a flight line, you may notice an individual giving direction to the pilots. they relay orders through hand signals and gestures. this occupation might be a predominantly military position, but i have observed similar ground crew at commercial airports, usually with…
Read morekiller or lover
i have heard it said that some individuals would not serve the God of the Bible due to His harsh judgments depicted and carried out in scripture. i want to refute such claims and explore the attributes of God, the inference of humanity’s viewpoints, and the true heartbeat of the benevolent Creator. hopefully, through reading…
Read morethanksgiving and praise: part 3
the integral portion of Psalm 100:4 that often goes unnoticed is the first two words, “Enter into.” before we offer thanksgiving, before we express ourselves in praise, we have to enter in. there are so many definitions of entering. it means to come in, join a group, make a beginning, go upon the land to…
Read morethanksgiving and praise: part 2
next, we need to offer praise unto God as we enter into His presence. a synonym for praise is worship, and it means “to honor or show reverence for as a divine being or supernatural power.” the KJV Dictionary has two definitions of praise, one as a noun and one as a verb. this reference…
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