The Kings Book (Deuteronomy 17:18-20)
God, in His wisdom and mercy, gave instructions in the law for the future kings of Israel. Included in those instructions were details about the role that God’s word was to play in the life of the kings. The Bible is not just a book for kings, it is the Book of the King of King’s for everyone.
By making application of these truths to our lives, reading the Bible for ourselves and following its teaching, we too will enjoy the blessing of The King’s Book.
By making application of these truths to our lives, reading the Bible for ourselves and following its teaching, we too will enjoy the blessing of The King’s Book.
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- Jan 10, 2024The Kings Book (Deuteronomy 17:18-20)
The Kings Book (Deuteronomy 17:18-20)God, in His wisdom and mercy, gave instructions in the law for the future kings of Israel. Included in those instructions were details about the role that God’s word was to play in the life of the kings. The Bible is not just a book for kings, it is the Book of the King of King’s for everyone.
By making application of these truths to our lives, reading the Bible for ourselves and following its teaching, we too will enjoy the blessing of The King’s Book. - Jan 7, 2024Love Not The World (I John 2:14-16)
Love Not The World (I John 2:14-16)
- Jan 7, 2024Abiding in Christ (John 15:1-5)
Abiding in Christ (John 15:1-5)Our home is built on a piece of land that was left untouched for generations. When we purchased it, it was a tangle of pine trees, hardwoods, and lots of vines. There were vines everywhere, and most of them were undesirable. To pull them all out of the trees would have been impossible without damaging the trees themselves, and spraying them with herbicide would have cost a fortune. Instead, I have employed a simple but effective solution. I cut the vines off at the ground and over time, the vine branches in the tops of the trees will wither and fall to the ground. This is remarkably effective because the vine branches are incapable of sustaining themselves. The branches cannot live without their vital connection to the vine.As simple as this may sound, it has profound implications in the spiritual world. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” Just as a branch cannot exist without the vine, we are completely dependent on Christ for everything. For that reason, it is of vital importance that we stay connected with Christ by “abiding” in Him. He’s not just our main source of spiritual life. He is our only source. If we distance ourselves from Him, we will become dry, fragile, and fruitless. Our life will be a drudgery, not a delight. But if we abide in Him, we will enjoy the blessings of His life flowing through us, resulting in a fruitfulness that brings joy to us and glory to Him.
- 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.
