The Task Of Building An Ark (Genesis 6:13-22)
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- Dec 31, 2023The Task Of Building An Ark (Genesis 6:13-22)
The Task Of Building An Ark (Genesis 6:13-22)
- Dec 31, 2023Satisfied (Psalm 63:1-7)
Satisfied (Psalm 63:1-7)
- Dec 31, 2023An Excellent Spirit (Proverbs 17:28)
An Excellent Spirit (Proverbs 17:28)
- Dec 31, 2023The Doctrine Of The Atonement (I Peter 1:19)
The Doctrine Of The Atonement (I Peter 1:19)There are so many aspects of the Christmas story that serve to illustrate Christ's purpose in coming to earth. For instance, Jesus is the Good Shepherd and the Lamb of God. It is fitting then that he was born in a stable and laid in a manger and that the shepherds were the first to receive the news of his birth.But the imagery of a lamb goes much deeper than just illustrating the humility of Christ's birth. It goes back to the garden when God first sacrificed an animal to make a covering to replace man's self-righteous attempt to hide his guilt and shame with fig leaves. It continues through the Passover story when the Jews sacrificed a spotless lamb and painted their doorposts with its blood so the death angel would pass over their homes, and they would be saved. It culminates with Jesus shedding His blood on the cross to atone for our sins.The basic meaning of the word translated "atonement" is a covering. It describes how our sins are pardoned by God, "hidden" in a sense. Our English word conveys the idea of how we have been restored to a right relationship with God. "At-one-ment" is the literal meaning of the word. Jesus was the perfect sacrifice and made atonement for our sins once and for all on the cross of Calvary. It is through Him that we enter into a relationship with God, and it is through Him that that relationship remains right. Our sins are covered, and we are redeemed by "the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:" (1 Peter 1:19)
- Dec 20, 2023Beware and Be Growing (2 Peter 3:14-18)
Beware and Be Growing (2 Peter 3:14-18)God uses all kinds of people. He uses the refined and educated, but He also uses the rough and ignorant. Simon Peter was the kind of person that most people would place in the latter category. He was the kind of guy that always had something to say, even when he should have kept his mouth shut. He probably would not have been the first man that you or I would have voted for if a pulpit committee had presented him as a candidate to pastor a church, but that didn’t matter to Jesus. Jesus called Peter to follow Him, changed Peter from a fisherman to a fisher of men, and later charged Peter with shepherding His sheep.
The change that came over Peter’s life through his time with Jesus is best summarized in Acts 4:13. “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.” Peter may not have been very polished to begin with, but through the grace of God Peter changed. As he learned more about Jesus, he grew in grace and in knowledge. The life of Peter is a case study in the power of Jesus to transform an individual. We can admire Peter for his loyalty and his boldness, but we must give Jesus the glory because it was only through His teaching, training and empowering that Peter became the man he was.
As Peter concluded his last letter to the believers, he knew that his time on earth was coming to an end. He had reminded them of the promise of Christ’s return. He had warned them that scoffers would continue to mock them for believing that promise. He had encouraged them to live right anyway. He wanted to impress on the believers that he loved so much the importance of living holy lives and continually growing for the glory of God while we wait for our blessed hope. Life is too short to waste our time with frivolous pursuits and false doctrines. We must be growing for the glory of God. - Dec 17, 2023The Doctrine Of The Virgin Birth (Genesis 3:15)
The Doctrine Of The Virgin Birth (Genesis 3:15)
- Dec 10, 2023Zachariah’s Song (Luke 1:67-79)
Zachariah’s Song (Luke 1:67-79)
- Dec 3, 2023Stand Against the Enemy
Stand Against the EnemyMissionary Mike MartinField Administrator with BWMFamily: Mike and Hannah were married on February 6, 1999. We have four children: Stephen, Joshua, Caroline, and Julia.Testimony: I was saved at the age of 4. I recognized my need of a Savior and trusted in Christ at that early age. I was baptized at the age of 9. As a teenager, I had the privilege of being with my family as missionaries in central Brazil. When I was a freshman in college, I felt that the Lord would have me to go into full-time vocation ministry. I surrendered to go to the mission field at that time. At the end of my graduate school training, I met my wife Hannah. We were married on February 6, 1999. We served in our local church in Greenville, SC for a number of years, gaining ministry experience. We applied and were accepted as BWM missionaries to Brazil in 2002.Field of Service: We served in Brazil from May 2006 until May 2016. We thank the Lord for the time of service that we had in Brazil. During that time in Porto Alegre we were able to help nationalize a local church, direct and teach in a Bible Seminary, help start another local church, as well as evangelize the lost and disciple new believers. The Lord has directed our steps to now serve as field administrator for Latin America and South America. We are grateful for the opportunity to be servants to our missionaries, their churches, and our Lord in this capacity.
- Dec 3, 2023Challenges to Sanctification (2 Timothy 2:19-21)
Challenges to Sanctification (2 Timothy 2:19-21)
- Nov 29, 2023The Failure of False Prophets (2 Peter 2:17-22)
The Failure of False Prophets (2 Peter 2:17-22)
- Nov 26, 2023For Ezra had prepared his heart (Ezra 7:10)
For Ezra had prepared his heart (Ezra 7:10)
- Nov 26, 2023The Concept of Sanctification (Leviticus 20:7)
The Concept of Sanctification (Leviticus 20:7)The Christian life is a journey of sanctification. So, what exactly is sanctification? Sanctification is the work of God in us, whereby we are separated from sin and consecrated to His service. At the moment of salvation, we are sanctified in Christ so that our position before God is one of complete holiness. When we die, we will be perfectly sanctified, having been freed from the presence of sin and perfectly into the image of Christ, a concept known as glorification. Between salvation and glorification, we cooperate in the process of sanctification by consecrating ourselves to God, changing through growth in Christ-likeness, and confessing our sins regularly. From the moment we are saved until the day that we die, we should be becoming progressively more like Jesus in our thoughts, words, and actions. We put off sin from our lives, and we put on Christ-like behavior. Our thinking continually changes, improving to be more and more consistently in line with God’s way of thinking. As we go through life, we learn to devote more time and energy to God’s purposes and less to our selfish desires.
When God’s work of sanctification is unhindered, God’s peace and joy can fill our hearts. We can withstand the storms that will come without our spiritual house being flattened. Life will still be full of unexpected circumstances, but we are safe in the knowledge that they are all a part of God’s plan to make us more like Christ. If we want to experience the joy and satisfaction God designed the Christian life to bring, then we must live a life of sanctification. - Nov 19, 2023Exhort One Another (II Timothy 2:24-26)
Exhort One Another (II Timothy 2:24-26)
- Nov 19, 2023How God Speaks: The Certainty of Scripture (Psalms 119:160)
How God Speaks: The Certainty of Scripture (Psalms 119:160)“Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.” (Psalms 119:160)The Bible would not be sufficient and it would not be supreme if it were not absolutely true. If there were any legitimate doubt as to its accuracy and reliability, then we could never be sure that what we read in the pages of the Bible was all that we need.So, it is extremely important that we know and believe that the Bible is absolutely true. The Bible does not only contain truth, but everything it says is the truth. From the big ideas about God down to the smallest detail of historical events, the Bible is without error, and is incapable of error.The implications of this truth are huge. Since everything the Bible says is true, there is no other book in the world that we should devote more of our time and energy to. We should read it, study it, memorize it and meditate on it so that we might live according to its teachings. The Bible must be our guide, and not the words, thoughts or feelings of man. We must seek to know God better and draw closer to Him through the pages of scripture and not through mystical, irrational experience centered or emotionally driven means.God is speaking to us through the scripture, but are we really listening to what He is saying?
- Nov 15, 2023The Follies of False Prophets (2 Peter 2:10-16)
The Follies of False Prophets (2 Peter 2:10-16)False doctrine is a major hindrance to Christian growth. That is why Peter took time to warn the believers against the false teachers they would inevitably encounter. We cannot assume that we would know a false teacher when we see them. They are very crafty and can often seem like the kind of people that we would like to follow. But their end is destruction, because they have denied the Lord and corrupted the gospel.
Peter pointed to many Old Testament stories to prove his statement that the destruction of the ungodly was sure and swift. The angels who were cast our of heaven, the global flood in Noah’s day and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrha all prove that God knows how to punish the wicked and save the righteous. In 2 Peter 2:10-16, we are given a more complete picture of what a false prophet looks like so that we might be able to identify them and be warned against allowing them to influence us. While they might maintain an appearance of godliness, inwardly they are consumed with pride, lust, and greed. We must develop godly discernment and not allow false teachers to influence us with their deeds or their doctrines.
