This is a tool to help you carry out the second half of the Great Commission: “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” This is a complete listing of all the commands that apply to us today. People often wonder what are the commands that Jesus commanded us to teach. As you look over this list you will see that God instructs us in great detail what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus: how we should act, and what we should do,…
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A New Look at Predestination and Once Saved Always Saved
I had never had a real interest in theological positions or discussions about Salvation. One day the Lord impressed upon me that I needed to study the subject of Salvation for myself so that I would know for sure what was truth, Calvinism, Arminianism, or something in between. I reluctantly dove into this study thinking it would be dry and boring. What I found was the exact opposite. God opened a whole new bigger picture for me about Salvation. This study is not exhaustive, nor can it ever be here…
Read MoreGod’s Commands in the New Testament
Jesus commanded us in the second half of the Great Commission to teach others to observe ALL that He has commanded us. We first need to know the commands ourselves well enough so that we can teach others to observe them. View an Uncategorized List of Commands Alcohol Luke 21:34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day;…
Read MoreContrary to Popular Opinion, College or Seminary Education is not Beneficial for Pastors
God is quite clear in many passages of Scripture, and through the example of Jesus, that higher education is not beneficial for pastors. Ignoring all that God has written about the subject, most churches require at least a college degree if not a seminary degree for their pastor. Subconsciously, the church has bought into the belief that the educated few hold the key to understanding the deeper things of Scripture and that Christians need to look to the educated, who are mere men, for answers to the difficult questions and…
Read MoreHome “Sunday Schooling”
The answer for the spiritual education of our children in the home church Training children and young people in the ways of the Lord is very important for passing on the faith to the next generation and to their children who follow. Building-based churches have used Sunday school and youth groups for years in an attempt to train children and young people. However, in the last 50 years or so, each succeeding generation trained in the church Sunday school has become more Biblically illiterate than the previous generation to the…
Read MoreHow to Turn the Hearts of Fathers to Their Children
The Importance of Turning the Hearts of Fathers to Their Children God sent John the Baptist to prepare people for lasting revival so that the church would endure after Jesus returned to Heaven. Jesus’ ministry lasted only three years. At the end of those three years, the revival that began has continued for two thousand years. What God said that John the Baptist would do to prepare the people for Jesus, was to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of children to their fathers.…
Read MorePreparing for the Future of the Church
A proposed change in the Spiritual education of children and young people It is vitally important that we prepare now for the future of the church. How we train our children and young people has great bearing on the spiritual commitment of the next generation. God has high expectations and standards of conduct for our youth and young adults. Our intentions and motives have been right, but has the spiritual education in Sunday Schools, vacation Bible schools, Christian schools and church youth groups been consistently producing young people who are…
Read MoreTotally Rethinking Church, Part 2: Sheep – A Key to Understanding God’s Design for the Church
For many years, I felt like I was not being fed spiritually at church as much as I wanted to be. Many Sundays I felt like I was given skim milk instead of real meat that I could sink my teeth into. The meetings, activities, and teaching responsibilities in the church always kept me busy, but they did not really satisfy my spiritual longings. Little did I realize that I would have to become a farmer to understand God’s answer. Many of the truths in the Bible are given using…
Read MoreTotally Rethinking Church, Part 3: A Refreshing Change for Church Leadership
The caring “pasture” shepherd pastor that is God’s plan for Church leadership is the type of pastor that we all have a deep longing for. God’s design for church leadership is much different than what we find in most conventional “feedlot” style, building based churches today. It requires a total reprogramming of our minds of what Spiritual leadership is and how it is carried out. In the process of changing the format of worship from a church building to a house church, we have the opportunity to totally rethink what…
Read MoreThe Guaranteed Christian Success Formula
If you’re like me, you’ve heard of, or read of, various plans for success in the Christian life. Some are embodied in how-to books. Others come from biographies of great Christian men. Still others come from pastors, professors, and men with Ph.D’s. Many challenge you to hours of prayer. Or reading through the Bible and/or memorizing large portions of it. Or winning souls for Christ. Or living a life of service to others. And of course, there’s the advice given to new Christians: “Read your Bible, pray, witness to others…
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