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Only in the Messiah of Israel is found the RIGHTEOUSNESS that we so desperately need to enter into Almighty God’s Holy and Perfect Heaven. That is what is so wonderful about the Christmas message! Almighty God provided a PERFECT body for His Son to dwell and make atonement for the sins of the world (Matt. 1:20-21, Luke 1:30-35, John 1:14, Heb. 10:5, 1 Peter 1:19)! We can NEVER enter into Almighty God's holy RIGHTEOUS Heaven without the PERFECT RIGHTEOUSNESS of the Savior. The PERFECT LAMB for the world was born in Bethlehem of Judea 2000 years ago to be the...

Eternal Glory Today's Scripture “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Troubles and trials are only temporary! In fact, this verse tells us they are momentary. Compared with eternity, our troubles won’t last long at all! When you stand strong in faith during the difficult times, you are building faith in your life and also achieving eternal glory. If you are in the middle of tough times today, look to God. The Bible says that He is the...

The Offering of the Natural " It is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. —Galatians 4:22 " Paul was not dealing with sin in this chapter of Galatians, but with the relation of the natural to the spiritual. The natural can be turned into the spiritual only through sacrifice. Without this a person will lead a divided life. Why did God demand that the natural must be sacrificed? God did not demand it. It is not God’s perfect will, but His permissive will. God’s perfect will was for the...

December 10, 2014Wednesday of the Second Week of Advent    Reading 1 Is 40:25-31 To whom can you liken me as an equal?says the Holy One.Lift up your eyes on highand see who has created these things:He leads out their army and numbers them,calling them all by name.By his great might and the strength of his powernot one of them is missing!Why, O Jacob, do you say,and declare, O Israel,“My way is hidden from the LORD,and my right is disregarded by my God”? Do you not knowor have you not heard?The LORD is the eternal God,creator of the ends...

Receive Grace Today's Scripture “It is through Him that we have received grace (God’s unmerited favor) and [our] apostleship to promote obedience to the faith and make disciples for His name’s sake among all the nations.” (Romans 1:5 AMP) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria Do you want to see more of God’s favor in your life? Receive His grace. Grace is God’s favor, but it’s also His supernatural empowerment. When you have God’s grace and favor, it enables you to accomplish more and be more effective both in your own life and in building the kingdom of God....

The Opposition of the Natural " Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. —Galatians 5:24 " The natural life itself is not sinful. But we must abandon sin, having nothing to do with it in any way whatsoever. Sin belongs to hell and to the devil. I, as a child of God, belong to heaven and to God. It is not a question of giving up sin, but of giving up my right to myself, my natural independence, and my self-will. This is where the battle has to be fought. The things that...

December 9, 2014Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent    Reading 1 Is 40:1-11 Comfort, give comfort to my people,says your God.Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to herthat her service is at an end,her guilt is expiated;Indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORDdouble for all her sins. A voice cries out:In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!Every valley shall be filled in,every mountain and hill shall be made low;The rugged land shall be made a plain,the rough country, a broad valley.Then the glory of...

Prepared Blessings Today's Scripture “You prepare a table before me...” (Psalm 23:5, NIV) Today's Word from Joel and Victoria When God laid out the plan for your life, He lined up the right people, the right breaks and the right opportunities. He has blessings that have your name on them. If you will stay in faith and keep honoring God, one day you will come in to what already belongs to you. It’s a prepared blessing! Think about Adam and Eve in the garden. God took the first five days and created the heavens, the earth, the sky, the...

The Impartial Power of God " By one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. —Hebrews 10:14 " We trample the blood of the Son of God underfoot if we think we are forgiven because we are sorry for our sins. The only reason for the forgiveness of our sins by God, and the infinite depth of His promise to forget them, is the death of Jesus Christ. Our repentance is merely the result of our personal realization of the atonement by the Cross of Christ, which He has provided for us. “…Christ Jesus…became for us...

Several months ago, one of my co-workers was speaking with a Christian university campus minister about the issue of abortion, and he dismissed the topic with a wave. “Abortion isn’t prevalent at our school," he said. "Contraception is widely available, but our students also take sexual purity to heart.” I was a bit suspicious of his answer, so I spoke with a recent graduate of the same university about her thoughts. “I suspect one in three women on campus have had an abortion,” she said matter-of-factly. “It may be higher. Christian kids don’t want to deal with the shame a...

From pro-life Christian Dr. La Verne Tolbert: “So, who is having these abortions? We are. According to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood: The highest proportion (43%) identify themselves as Protestant. 27% of women having an abortion identify themselves as Catholic, and 8% as members of another religion. 22% reported no religious affiliation. 13% identified themselves as “born again” or evangelical….. Those who claim to know Jesus and who protest against abortion the most account for nearly 80% of all abortions.” Dr. La Verne Tolbert “Abortion: the Sin of Idolatry”, Doctor Alveda King and Dr.La Verne...

Pro-choice Pastor Roger Paynter, in a sermon to his congregation: “… Abortion is not the automatic breaking of God’s will… In general, we should say that God is against the ending of all life, but that in some tragic circumstances, he understands – even allows – and certainly forgives the choices we have to make.” Robert M Baird and Stuart E Rosenbaum, editors The Ethics of Abortion, 3rd edition (Amherst, New York: Prometheus books, 2001) 236

December 8, 2014Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin MaryPatronal Feastday of the United States of America    Reading 1 Gn 3:9-15, 20 After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,the LORD God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?”He answered, “I heard you in the garden;but I was afraid, because I was naked,so I hid myself.”Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?You have eaten, then,from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with meCshe gave me fruit from...

Repentance " Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation… —2 Corinthians 7:10 " Conviction of sin is best described in the words:My sins, my sins, my Savior, How sad on Thee they fall.Conviction of sin is one of the most uncommon things that ever happens to a person. It is the beginning of an understanding of God. Jesus Christ said that when the Holy Spirit came He would convict people of sin (see John 16:8). And when the Holy Spirit stirs a person’s conscience and brings him into the presence of God, it is not that person’s relationship with...

From The Wall Street Journal: Americans aren’t building churches like they used to anymore.Construction of religious buildings in the U.S. has fallen to the lowest level at any time since private records began in 1967. Religious groups will build an estimated 10.3 million square feet this year, down 6% from 2013 and 80% since construction peaked in 2002, according to Dodge Data & Analytics. In terms of dollars, spending on houses of worship totaled $3.15 billion last year, down by half from a decade earlier, according to Commerce Department figures.As the economy heals, churches, synagogues, mosques and temples may move...

December 7, 2014Second Sunday of Advent    Reading 1 Is 40:1-5, 9-11 Comfort, give comfort to my people,says your God.Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to herthat her service is at an end,her guilt is expiated;indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORDdouble for all her sins. A voice cries out:In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!Every valley shall be filled in,every mountain and hill shall be made low;the rugged land shall be made a plain,the rough country, a broad valley.Then the glory of the LORD...

“My Rainbow in the Cloud” " I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. —Genesis 9:13 " It is the will of God that human beings should get into a right-standing relationship with Him, and His covenants are designed for this purpose. Why doesn’t God save me? He has accomplished and provided for my salvation, but I have not yet entered into a relationship with Him. Why doesn’t God do everything we ask? He has done it. The point is— will I step into that...

VATICAN CITY — The 2013 papal conclave that elected Pope Francis is news again now that four cardinals have denied a new book’s claim that they campaigned for Pope Francis to be elected — though the book’s author has clarified the Pope himself was not a part of their supposed campaign. The London-based Catholic journalist Austen Ivereigh, in his new book The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope, contends that a group of cardinals on what he bills as “Team Bergoglio” worked during the last conclave to promote the election of Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio of...

The Obama administration is refusing to discuss reports that emerged early Thursday claiming that the White House is considering imposing sanctions on Israel for continuing construction on Jewish homes in Jerusalem. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf dodged several questions on Thursday when confronted with reports that the administration had held secret internal meetings to discuss taking action against Israel for its ongoing building in East Jerusalem. The classified meetings were reportedly held several weeks ago and included officials from both the State Department and White House, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, which first reported on the meetings. The possibility...

December 6, 2014Saturday of the First Week of Advent    Reading 1 Is 30:19-21, 23-26 Thus says the Lord GOD,the Holy One of Israel:O people of Zion, who dwell in Jerusalem,no more will you weep;He will be gracious to you when you cry out,as soon as he hears he will answer you.The Lord will give you the bread you needand the water for which you thirst.No longer will your Teacher hide himself,but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher,While from behind, a voice shall sound in your ears:“This is the way; walk in it,”when you would turn...