What Does It Mean to Turn the Other Cheek? – Jeremy Lallier lifehopeandtruth.com
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
The concept broached here, like so many, gain depth with a little clarification and understanding. To “turn the other cheek” is less about making yourself a doormat just like an “eye for an eye” was not about vengeance but more about legal protections. The best way to understand Christ, who sometimes spoke in hyperbole for emphasis, is to look at His and other examples. In…
What Is Mardi Gras? Should Christians Celebrate Mardi Gras (Shrove Tuesday)? ucg.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
Mardi Gras, also known as Shove Tuesday, is a name of near instant recognition. It is associated with excess in everything from eating and drinking to scant clothing and illicit behavior. Built within the celebration is the idea of sinning heartily before deciding to do anything about it. That’s why Mardi Gras is followed by Ash Wednesday, which is the first day of Lent. Lent,…
The Secret Is Showing Up – Jeremy Lallier sabbaththoughts.com
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
For readers of this article the title sums it up quite nicely. The overarching theme is something we each face in one way or another. Life happens and the struggles there of, we become overwhelmed, and our spiritual obligations are neglected. We often justify the lapse because we can’t give it our best effort. What we fail to see is so often those times we…
How To Study Your Bible – Richard F. Ames thebiblesaysthat.com
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
Arguably the Bible is the most important book ever written. Within its pages is the meaning and purpose of life, principles for true success, fulfillment, happiness, and health. It explains why our world is in such confusion and danger and reveals the very plan of God. Daniel Webster, congressman and Secretary of State under Presidents Harrison, Tyler and Fillmore made the dire national warning “if…
A Day of Lust, Not Love – Martin G. Collins cgg.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
Valentine’s Day has become widely accepted by the religious and non-religious as a day to celebrate their significant other. For most its history is unknown or dismissed as unimportant in its currently celebrated state. To those that profess to follow God, its origins shouldn’t be so easily dismissed. Historically it’s often traced to the Roman festival Lupercalia. This festival honored the god Lupercus. Lupercus, like…
Vaccine Policy – Richard T. Ritenbaugh cgg.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
To take the jab or not is a very divisive issue in our modern culture and Covid 19 has really turned the heat up on personal opinions and attitudes. One of the main reasons for such a sharp polarity is the sheer volume of information that has been offered up so “authoritatively” in clear support of either taking the jab or not. Who is a…
6000 Year Old earth? tomorrowsworld.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
One common misinterpretation of the Bible is that the earth is only about 6,000 years old. To get the complete story, it helps to begin at the beginning, at least the Bible verses that describes a time before creation itself. 1“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God… 2 He (the Being that became Jesus [John 1:14]) was in the beginning with…
Fulfillment of the Law – Tim Vail leadingtolife.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
One modern accepted belief by mainstream Christianity is that the entirety of the Old Testament points to Jesus and therefore was nullified at His death. This approach misses the purpose of the law, seeing it as just legal requirements. What is lost is that, like Christ, the law pointed to the very mind and character of God the Father. The law is not opposed to…
Christ Our Passover cgi.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
This article explains why Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread are relevant to modern-day Christians, and gives helpful guidance on how to observe them. God (the Word who would become Christ) instituted the Old Testament Passover when Israel was enslaved in Egypt. The blood of lambs was the symbol by which the Israelites were protected when the angel of death “passed over”. Thus, the…
What Truth Are You Afraid Of? – Carmine Russo churchofgodnetwork.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
This author seeks to challenge the reader with facing hard truths. Truth is truth whether we believe it, like it or ignore it and the same could be said of its source. Hard truth, that which challenges you or maybe makes you feel uncomfortable should not be feared. In fact, that is the very truth we should seek out because to avoid it is to…
What Is God’s Family Model? – Jerold Aust ucg.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
Has the traditional family model changed in our time? How many families exemplify the biblical characteristics of family relationships? What makes a family stable and successful? Many people look to popular entertainment to define the typical family, and that industry drives perceived family values. In the past, that model mirrored some of the values found in the Bible, but now increasingly embraces “alternative” family structures,…
Amazing Grace – John Ritenbaugh cgg.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
God gives us grace so that we might stand before Him. Grace makes salvation possible. To say that grace is simply a “gift” is woefully inadequate. 1) It is the single most important aspect of our spiritual and eternal salvation, and 2) God’s giving of it to us is completely unmerited. Even though grace is the foundation for good works, the good works, by themselves,…
What is Heaven? tomorrowsworld.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
Traditions and fantasy have shaped many opinions about heaven. From the context of the Bible there are three heavens. The first heaven is simply earth’s atmosphere. “let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” (Gen 1:20). Like the first heaven the second heaven is also observable by mankind. It is what we call outer space. “I will surely multiply your offspring…
God, Science and the Bible – Mario Seiglie, Scott Ashley, Tom Robinson ucg.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
Many wonder about the historical accuracy of the Bible. Some, by faith, believe that God inspired various servants down through time, to accurately record various historical events for mankind’s benefit. Others, however, put their trust in science, believing in physical evidence alone. Very recently though, God and science have been brought together! This past summer, archaeologists have been able to identify the ancient Philistine city…
New Gods, New Sins – Wallace G. Smith tomorrowsworld.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
As many today wish to rid the world of the God of the Bible, they in turn, set up their own gods. With these new gods come new orthodoxies, dogmas, and sins. Truth becomes whatever supports these new gods and compliance is forcibly compelled. Four such gods are highlighted in this article. First, the god of science. With the absence of a true God, humanity…
The Feast of Trumpets: Alarm of War, Announcement of Peace – Mike Bennett lifehopeandtruth.com
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
The Fall festivals of the yearly biblical holyday cycle begin with the Feast of Trumpets. In Leviticus 23:24 we find the command for this festival, which begins on the first day of the seventh month in the Hebrew calendar. The book of Nehemiah puts special emphasis on this feast as a day where God’s Law was read. It is a holy and joyful day of…
What Is Truth? – Gary Petty ucg.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
Pilate asked of Jesus a rhetorical, sarcastic, and cynical question that feels extremely relevant today: “What is truth?” he posed. With limitless information at our fingertips, we can “know” anything. But society has never been less sure of truth. Somewhere along the way, it became subjective. Now, we seem to have given up on the idea all together. A lot of thinking that has undermined…
Would Jesus want us to remember or celebrate His birthday? thebiblesaysthat.com
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
Throughout the Bible God is very clear about what he wants us to do and what he doesn’t. Pagan traditions aside, the Bible is very silent on the exact date of Christ’s birth. At the same time enough information is available in the gospels to know that He wasn’t born in December but more than likely around the month of September. What is clear, within…
The Root and Fruit of New Year’s Eve lifehopeandtruth.com
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
What are you doing on New Year’s Eve? A more intriguing question might be, do you know where the traditions associated with New Year’s Eve originate from? There are many customs and superstitions associated with the celebration that vary around the world. The one thing they all have in common, however, is a pronounced focus on human reasoning. So, from a Christian perspective, it is…
Depression – Brian Orchard vision.org
Ryan Welsh
13 hours ago in The Church
The numbers continue to indicate depression is an ever-worsening problem. It is happening to more adults, and it is happening earlier in life; and it is of major concern to health-care professionals. Depression is a mood disorder and should not be confused with the ups and downs that are a part of normal life. Emotions clearly play a part in the problem. When emotions become…