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July 10, 2016 Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Dt 30:10-14 Moses said to the people:"If only you would heed the voice of the LORD, your God,and keep his commandments and statutesthat are written in this book of the law,when you return to the LORD, your God,with all your heart and all your soul. "For this command that I enjoin on you todayis not too mysterious and remote for you.It is not up in the sky, that you should say,'Who will go up in the sky to get it for usand tell us of it, that we may...

"Offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5). Every faculty you have is to be used for God’s glory. In Romans 12:1 Paul pleads with believers to present their bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice, which is an appropriate and acceptable act of worship. But as someone has rightly said, the problem with living sacrifices is they tend to crawl off the altar. That's because sacrificial living demands spiritual discipline and constant dependence on the Holy Spirit. We as Christians aren't always willing to do that. According to Paul, the motivation and...

“These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). The apostle John presents eleven objective and subjective tests for assurance of salvation. The New Testament epistles are filled with enough material on assurance to fill volumes of commentaries. Yet there is one small epistle, 1 John, that was written to deal exclusively with the issue of assurance. The apostle John states his reason for writing this letter in our verse for today: “These things I have written to...

"You . . . are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:5). Spiritual sacrifices are acts of praise and worship offered to God through Jesus Christ. The primary mission of a Hebrew priest was to offer acceptable sacrifices to God. That's why God gave detailed instructions regarding the kinds of sacrifices He required. For example, if a lamb was offered, it had to be perfect—without deformity or blemish. Then it had to be sacrificed in a prescribed manner. It was a serious...

“We also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation” (Romans 5:11). The final link in the chain that eternally binds believers to Christ is their joy or exultation in God. Perhaps nowhere outside of Scripture has Christian joy been expressed more beautifully than in these stanzas from Charles Wesley’s hymn “O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing”: O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise, The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace! Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb, Your loosened tongues...

Pope Francis has named Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich to serve as a member of the Congregation for Bishops, the Vatican office that recommends to the Pope candidates to be appointed bishops. The move has alarmed traditional-minded Catholics since Cupich has shown himself to be an extremely liberal bishop. In this role, Cupich will now exercise one of the most prominent roles in deciding who to appoint as new bishops in the United States. Cupich is said to have been hand-picked by Pope Francis for his prominent position as Archbishop of Chicago. Cupich will join Washington, D.C.'s Cardinal Donald Wuerl, who...

“Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’ ” (v. 24). - Mark 9:20–24 Humanity’s natural condition, since the fall of Adam and Eve, is characterized by unbelief. As Paul says in Romans 1:18–3:20, we do not trust the God who is revealed in nature, and we deny His sovereign right to rule over us. The result is enslavement to wickedness. Belief, or faith, determines whether one has been rescued from sin and misery (Eph. 2:8–10). By faith alone we move from being enemies of God to being His children. The faith of...

July 9, 2016 Saturday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Is 6:1-8 In the year King Uzziah died,I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty throne,with the train of his garment filling the temple.Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings:with two they veiled their faces,with two they veiled their feet,and with two they hovered aloft. They cried one to the other,“Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts!All the earth is filled with his glory!”At the sound of that cry, the frame of the door shookand the house was filled with...

July 8, 2016 Friday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Hos 14:2-10 Thus says the LORD:Return, O Israel, to the LORD, your God;you have collapsed through your guilt.Take with you words,and return to the LORD;Say to him, “Forgive all iniquity,and receive what is good, that we may renderas offerings the bullocks from our stalls.Assyria will not save us,nor shall we have horses to mount;We shall say no more, ‘Our god,’to the work of our hands;for in you the orphan finds compassion.”I will heal their defection, says the LORD,I will love them freely;for my wrath is turned...

Congregations across the state of Iowa are in grave danger of having their pastors silenced in the pulpit over LGBT public accommodation rules, according to a federal lawsuit filed against the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. Fort Des Moines Church of Christ filed what is known as a “pre-enforcement challenge” – arguing that a portion of the Iowa Civil Rights Act, is a threat to First Amendment freedoms. Alliance Defending Freedom, a legal firm that specializes in religious liberty lawsuits, is representing the church in its fight against the commission. “Churches should be free to teach their religious beliefs and operate...

This month, hundreds of Christians at a South Carolina megachurch can request a refund on all the money they’ve given since March. NewSpring Church, led by pastor Perry Noble, is one of hundreds of congregations across the country that have offered 90-day tithing challenges. Participants sign up with a commitment to give 10 percent of their income or more, and if “God doesn’t hold true to his promises of blessings” after three months, they can request their money back—no questions asked. It’s the church’s version of “satisfaction guaranteed.”

In response to my open letter to Isaac Archuleta, who describes himself as a bisexual Christian, Richard S. posted a lengthy comment on my personal Facebook page, including this statement: “The logical conclusion to your theology (gays can change and if they don’t it must be because they don’t have faith or are deceived) is extremely damaging to the souls of gay people. That was the point of Isaac’s letter. No amount of nice words will erase the damage. Only honest reconsideration of your theology will bring healing. Please don’t discount/deny the faith of your gay brothers and sisters. They...

Evidence continues to mount that Joel Osteen is merely a progressive in Christian clothing. Joel Osteen, Pastor of the largest church in America, has alienated many Christians by doing things like endorsing Obama and his liberal agenda and praying in the name of "all that is holy," rather than in the name of Jesus, as Christians are commissioned to do. However, savvy people are not surprised, as they have known for ages that Osteen's “we're all okay” milk toast messages are far from Bible-based. Neither do these watered-down sermons reflect his father's beliefs. (Lakewood Church was started by John Osteen,...

“[Jesus] answered them, ‘O faithless generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you?’ ” (v. 19a). - Mark 9:14–19 Popular depictions of Jesus in our day frequently present Him as having something of a “live and let live” attitude that means He never judges anyone but rather embraces everyone without demanding that they turn from their sin. Yet, the Gospels paint a far different picture of our Lord. Yes, Christ will receive any sinner who comes to Him, no matter how grievous his or her transgressions may be. But Jesus does...

This week, Chuck and Ron discuss some more of your questions. If you would like to skip to a particular question, please use the times below: 03:18 - Can we loose our Salvation? 06:15 - Hillary Clinton not charged? 15:32 - What should American Christians do in case of Abandonment? 21:10 - Rapture references in the Old Testament? 25:33 - What is the Mystery of the Gospel? 28:18 - What is the Outer Darkness? 31:54 - What is the Multi-Verse? (@K Grove) 36:33 - Feast of Trumpets for Christ's Return? 38:18 - Sacrifice in NEW Temple an Abomination? 41:21 -...

July 7, 2016 Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Hos 11:1-4, 8e-9 Thus says the LORD:When Israel was a child I loved him, out of Egypt I called my son.The more I called them,the farther they went from me,Sacrificing to the Baalsand burning incense to idols.Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,who took them in my arms;I drew them with human cords,with bands of love;I fostered them like onewho raises an infant to his cheeks;Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,they did not know that I was their healer. My heart is...

Brothers and sisters, let's acknowledge reality: we are no longer on a slippery slope. We have already hit bottom and the edifices of the new order are already being erected there. But do not fret - it is not the end ... far from it. The gospel can flourish in any and all environments. In fact, that "plant" we call the gospel does best in the harshest of conditions. I have seen it with my own eyes. I lived in a communist country for 10 years where atheism was the official religion and Christianity suppressed, yet, in the midst of...

“[Jesus] said to them, ‘Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him’ ” (vv. 12–13). - Mark 9:9–13 God told Peter, James, and John to listen to Jesus when they saw Him in glory on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mark 9:2–8). This was a call not only to pay attention to our Lord but also to believe...

According to ethnographers and Israeli geneticists who have investigated the matter — and even most members of his own ethnic group in India — Hanoch Haokip’s claim to be descended from one of Israel’s so-called “Lost Tribes” is, at best, highly debatable. But Haokip, a member of a small subgroup of indigenous peoples from a remote tribal area of East India, has no doubt about the matter. During an interview in the northern Israeli town of Akko, where he lives today, Haokip, whose group is known as the Bnei Menashe, spoke with some indignation about having been “interrogated” by the...

July 6, 2016 Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time Reading 1 Hos 10:1-3, 7-8, 12 Israel is a luxuriant vinewhose fruit matches its growth.The more abundant his fruit,the more altars he built;The more productive his land,the more sacred pillars he set up.Their heart is false,now they pay for their guilt;God shall break down their altarsand destroy their sacred pillars.If they would say,“We have no king”—Since they do not fear the LORD,what can the king do for them? The king of Samaria shall disappear,like foam upon the waters.The high places of Aven shall be destroyed,the sin of Israel;thorns...