Eternally Minded

Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.   Acts 5:41 & 42 North American, first-world Christians, have a hard time wrapping their minds around persecution. We don't pray for foreign believers as we should. We oftentimes forget that in other parts of the world (and maybe subtly in our very own country) children of Christ are being persecuted for their faith.  Martyrdom always fascinated me. I used to lay awake in bed and wonder what it would be like to die for Christ... To be worthy  to die for Him.  Millions of believers have been - and are being - killed for their faith in God. Sad, yes, but oh! Think of the joy that awaits them! Leave this sinful world 'early' and be face to face with Christ the Saviour forever?? Sounds like a sweet deal to me....

We thought it would be helpful to record our blog posts as well as write them, so that you wouldn't have to set time aside to read it, but could listen to them while washing dishes or folding laundry, etc.. So this week, I've gone back and recorded one of our foundational series on the gospel, since it is something we want everyone who comes to our blog to know and be encouraged in. This is Part 1 of our Gospel series entitled: Who is God. Click HERE  to be sent to the audio recording of The Gospel, Part 1: Who is God?, on our YouTube channel.

Once God brought Israel out of Egypt, some of them began to doubt. They tested and tempted God for 40 years to see if He was really with them (Exodus 17:7). God was doing miracles and working among them, but they had hardened their hearts in unbelief (Hebrews 3:12). Because of this, God swore in His wrath that they would not enter into His rest (Psalm 95:11). And so, the unbelieving in Israel did not enter the promise land, but died in the wilderness (Hebrews 3:17-19). In Psalm 95, David applied this same story and gave the command not to harden our hearts like the Israelites who could not enter God's rest. He said, "T oday if you will hear His voice..." (Psalm 95:7). So if God had given Israel rest in the promise land, why would David talk about another day (Hebrews 4:7-9); except that there is another day when we will enter God's rest - a rest that the promise land only pointed to. Just like Abraham looked for a city beyond the land of Canaan whose builder an...

Therefore I still contend with you, declares the L ORD , and with your children's children I will contend. For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see, or send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has been such a thing. Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But My people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the L ORD , for My people have committed two evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters , and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.    (Jeremiah 2:9-13) Jeremiah (more specifically, God, through Jeremiah) is warning the people of Judah about their great sin: IDOLATRY. Idolatry is anything of higher importance in your life than God Himself. It's crazy in our age today, just as it was rampant in ancient Judah.  (1)  Therefore I still contend with you, declares the L ORD , and w...

I’ve never really thought much about my identity. I never really knew what it meant and I thought it was rather self-centered to read through the Bible to pick out what it says about who we are. At Bible study (that my friends Judith and Kathryn started), the topic we read was about finding our identity. It forced me to think about it more and what I discovered was that I struggle with where I place my identity. So what is a person’s identity? We hear the term thrown around so often, it is hard to put our finger on what it actually is. So here’s my working definition: A person’s identity is who they are. It can often be portrayed or changed by the individual to fit who they think they are or who they want other people to think they are. Our culture today often pressures us to fit their ideal mold. We feel the need to be identified as beautiful, self-sufficient, capable, intelligent, captivating, financially secure, humorous, accepting, etc. Not that any of these th...