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God's Generous Heart On Display

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  As my pastor Dr. Jon Morales says, advent is nothing if not God's generous heart on display. This Christmas take a moment to reflect on the gift that God gave to humankind- Jesus Christ, our Savior. The Promise of Salvation “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” -Genesis 3:15 “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. -Isaiah 7:14 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." -Isaiah 9:6 The Incarnation: God With Us “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” -Mathew 1:23 "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and tr...

Giving Thanks Always

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"...Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," -Ephesians 5:20 Tomorrow is Thanksgiving in the U.S, a time to count your blessings, spend time with family, and eat good food. But amid all the holiday hype, what does it really mean to give thanks biblically? Our verse says give thanks always for all things. The Greek word there for giving thanks is eucharistountes . The meaning of the word goes beyond mere thankfulness; it embodies a sense of gratitude and a recognition of grace . The word used for always is pantote , meaning, obviously, at all times . It is also used to express the idea of continuity or perpetuity in time, signifying that we are to give thanks -recognize God's grace- continuously, without ceasing. We often forget these truths. But biblical gratitude is more than just saying "thank you" to God once a year for the good, pleasant things in our lives. Rather, it is an acknowledgement of God...

7 Books Every Christian Should Read

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The Bible The Bible, the inspired, inerrant, infallible, written word of the Creator, should be the single most important Book to any Christian. As the Word of the Lord, it demands our reverence, honor, diligent study and application in all areas of life. The Bible is both a 100% accurate historical document and a living testament of God's plan for the world, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and wisdom, comfort and guidance for God's people. Read it! 2 Timothy 3:16: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."  Proverbs 30:5: "Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."  Psalm 119:105: "Your w ord is a lamp to my feet  and a light to my path." The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan The Pilgrim's Progress is a classic Christian allegory written by John Bunyan almost 350 years ago. It tells of Christian's journey, who...

Hymn Spotlight: What a Friend We Have in Jesus

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Today we look at the poignant story behind the hymn "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." Written in 1855 by Joseph Scriven, the hymn is sung and treasured by many to this day. It speaks of the comfort found in Jesus as a compassionate Friend in times of sorrow and encourages believers to bring their burdens to Him in prayer. The hymn is widely recognized today, but the story behind its creation is not as commonly known. Joseph Medlicott Scriven was born in 1819 in Northern Seapatrick, Ireland, to a wealthy, religious family. After attending Trinity College in Dublin, Joseph's life took a tragic turn. The evening before his wedding, his fiancée was thrown off of her horse into the River Bann, to her death. Devastated by the loss, Scriven left Ireland and traveled to Canada in 1845, taking up residence in Port Hope, Ontario. From that point on, Scriven lived a life dedicated to service to God and man. When he was 25, he took on poverty, sold all of his belongings to help those...

The Uttermost Ends of the Earth: A Call to the Mission Field

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Of the approximately 8 billion people on planet earth, about 3.2 billion are considered unreached or least reached, and more than 7,000 people groups are classified as unreached. Overall, that’s more than 40% of the total population. That’s right- Over 40% of the world has never heard the saving message of the gospel of Jesus Christ. These statistics and others expose a major weakness and severe lack of action on the part of the Church. When Jesus issued the Great Commission, He commanded His followers to “Make disciples of all the nations” (Matt. 28:19, emphasis added). The Greek word Jesus used for nations is “ethne” from which the English word ethnic was derived. So, the Lord was saying to make disciples not only from large, generally safer nations, but literally from every single ethnic people group. This is not to say, however, that the Church has been entirely missing in action. Indeed, the spread of Christianity throughout the nations has been nothing short of supernatural. God ...