Are Humans Good or Evil? – Richard Ritenbaugh cgg.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Are people good or evil? This question has been debated for thousands of years and still is to this day. Was man created with an evil nature or a good nature? There are many theories supporting both sides. The answer to the question is found in the Bible. After God created Adam and Eve on the sixth day Genesis 1:31 says, “Then God saw everything…
Lying vs. Telling the Truth – Dave Myers lifehopeandtruth.com
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Are there ever moral grounds to lie? Do the ends of a lie ever justify the means? The short answer is “No”. Why? Because telling the truth is foundational within our relationships. The apostle Paul says to “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor”. Lying is destructive to us and others, destabilizing relationships whereas telling the truth creates stability. Again, this is…
Valentine’s Day – Steven Orchard thefatherscall.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Valentine’s Day is a ubiquitous global tradition accepted as a celebration of love and endorsed by Christianity and commerce alike. However, the origins of the custom are sordid. St. Valentine apparently existed only in legend. The day was likely named for a popular Gnostic heretic who blended pagan ideas into Catholic doctrine and promoted eroticism as a way to connect with the spirit realm. In…
12 Scriptural Principles of Child Rearing vision.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Raising children is hard. It always has been. In a modern world that is accelerating and awash in uncertainty, there seems to be no reliable standards. Old wisdom can provide helpful anchors. The Bible is replete with timeless advice on how to parent. This link provides a brief list of principles drawn from scripture to provide a base of stability in child-rearing. Begin early. Parent…
Thinking Well, Part I – Carmine Russo churchofgodnetwork.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Most are not taught to freely reason but instead are conditioned. “We are enslaved to the bias, prejudice, anger, envy, and jealousy that have become a large part of our nature.” We, therefore, must work to recognize this habituated mindset. To do this, four “Categories of Awareness” are highlighted: time awareness, task awareness, result awareness and self-awareness. Time awareness refers to our ability to manage…
What Does Pentecost Mean? – David Treybig lifehopeandtruth.com
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Pentecost is one of God’s annual Holy Days which commemorates the beginning of the New Testament Church of God. The most famous Pentecost occurred in A.D. 31 when God gave His Holy Spirit, in the form of tongues of fire, to Christ’s faithful followers. That day, an additional 3,000 people were added to the church. Pentecost is observed by Catholics, Protestants, and Jews, yet each…
“The Kingdom of God: An Earth Transformed” lifehopeandtruth.com
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
This earth will soon be transformed! Do you know the means by which that will happen? The transformation will be directed by Jesus Christ upon His return to this earth. There are many biblical prophecies that paint the picture for us. Cities will be rebuilt to God’s standards and be a blessing to the inhabitants. An agricultural lifestyle will once again gain prominence as families…
Cupid’s Disheartening Past – Alice Abler vision.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Cupid, that winged Valentine’s Day mascot with a sordid past. “From a lusty shepherd-king who died annually, causing weeping of women throughout the known world, to the incestuous sun god who is the bringer of life, his tale spans eons and outlive entire civilizations with variations in names and lore. This intertwined history of Cupid and his mother, the traditional mother/son/spouse deities of sexual love…
God’s 7,000-Year Plan – Wyatt Ciesielka lcg.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
There is ample proof that the universe is billions of years old, however, this does not preclude God’s 7,000 year plan for humanity. These widely varying ideas about the history of the universe can be rectified by the Gap Theory. By reading Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1-3, we know that the Word (Jesus Christ) was with God from the beginning. Through the Word, God created…
Drunk With Blood, Part One: The Proper Context sabbaththoughts.com
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Skeptics of the Bible often accuse God of being inconsistent, cruel or unjust. Is He a God of love, or a God wielding harsh punishments sometimes on large swaths of people? The argument stems from some of the more graphic stories of the bible and ask how a “loving God” could do that. The problem is that, almost universally, these stories are presented without any…
Drunk With Blood, Part Two: Understanding Love sabbaththoughts.com
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
In Part Two of this series, we learn that Godly love makes a clear distinction between right and wrong, good and evil—and what’s more, it refuses to condone or approve of anything wrong or evil. Godly love comes with the understanding that the best life we can live exists within the boundaries of God’s law, and that by stepping outside that law, we expose ourselves…
Drunk With Blood, Part Three: Beyond Justice sabbaththoughts.com
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
We know that sin, unchecked and unchallenged, spreads like a disease. We know that God’s decision to put an end to corruption is just, fair, and ultimately an act of love from a patient God no longer willing to watch His creation engaged in a cycle of self-destruction. In Part Three, we learn the final piece of the puzzle. The actions that seem so final…
Tithing: First Tithe – Martin G. Collins cgg.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Tithe means one tenth. God requires a tenth of our financial increase to be given back to Him. This is called the first tithe. Today this tithe is used primarily to preach the gospel to the whole world as commanded by Jesus Christ. The first tithe allows the Church to freely give to all. The tithing principle can be found throughout the Bible. Abraham tithed…
The Cold Culture of Silence (Part Two) – Charles Whitaker cgg.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
The Cold Culture of Silence by Charles Whitaker is a call to action – to speak up about the consequences of divorce and out of wedlock births that create problems that can last a lifetime for a couple, the single mother, children and society. Keeping silent is not an expression of love, nor does it help the young mother or her children. The article has…
Fulfillment of the Law – Tim Vail thefatherscall.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Do all the laws of the Old Testament end with Christ’s death? Many believe that the 10 commandments as well as the statutes based on those laws are not binding on man today. This belief is supported by Jesus’ role as High Priest fulfilling many of the rituals observed by the ancient Israelites, such as animal sacrifices. So indeed, some Old Testament practices did end…
Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering? cdn2.hubspot.net
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
God and the Word lived for eternity in the past in perfect harmony. Evil and disharmony began when one of the angels, Lucifer, rebelled. His rejection of God was by his own choice. He turned hostile to God and pride led him to turn against and attack his perfect Creator. God doesn’t want us to become as Satan is, but when He created humanity, man…
The Feast of Unleavened Bread: Pursuing a Life of Righteousness – Mike Bennett lifehopeandtruth.com
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
Immediately following the Passover, is the first day of Unleavened Bread. This day is a Holy Day and is the first of 7 annual Holy Days. There are 7 days of Unleavened Bread with the first and seventh being Holy Days. These days show us what we are to do once Christ’s sacrifice has been applied on our behalf. Through Christ and His death, we…
Mystery of the Mind – Wallace G. Smith tomorrowsworld.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
The human mind is fascinating on every level of analysis that it can conceive of to examine itself. It seems that the more it is studied, the more proportional the mystery that unfolds. One thing that is not debatable, however, is that the human mind is far more advanced than any other in the animal kingdom. But why is that? Humans have a brain just…
Day of Atonement & the Jubilee Year – Nathan Albright ucg.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
God’s character is revealed by His law. So it is worth noting the practical effects of His Sabbath laws, particularly as it relates to the relationship between the Jubilee and the Day of Atonement. The seventh day weekly Sabbath pictures restoration and freedom. Among its many benefits, the Sabbath limits exploitation of the poor by employers. The seventh year land Sabbath, when all debts were…
God’s Days of Worship ucg.org
Ryan Welsh
11 hours ago in The Church
God has given us seven annual festivals, or feasts, on which to worship and honor Him. By observing them according to His instruction, we can understand His ultimate plan for humanity. It starts with the first commanded day of worship, the Sabbath, a day set aside to commune with Him. The plan of salvation continues to unfold through seven annual festivals endowed with profound purpose. Passover…