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"Fear God and keep His commandments" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). Living life apart from God is futile. The Book of Ecclesiastes is greatly misunderstood. It is a difficult book to read simply because it is hard to understand. Everything in it appears wrong and as if it doesn't fit with the rest of Scripture. But it is part of the Old Testament wisdom literature because it is a statement of human wisdom. Ecclesiastes tells us how man perceives his world, God, and the realities of life. Most scholars believe Ecclesiastes was penned by Solomon. They debate whether he wrote it before he...

"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." God's greatest truths are discovered by simple faith. As a man or woman of faith, you have insights into life that unbelievers can't know. You know how the physical universe began, where it is heading, and how it will end. You know Who governs the universe and how you fit into the total scheme of things. You know why you exist and how to invest your life in matters of eternal consequence....

Then he said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for our parts. Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves,(Ezekiel 37:11-13)Israel...

"Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom" (James 3:13). Wisdom teaches us how to handle adversity. In his wonderful commentary on the book of James, Robert Johnstone wrote the following about meekness: That "the meek" should "inherit the earth"-that they bear wrongs, and exemplify the love which "seeketh not her own"-to a world that believes in high-handedness and self-assertion, and pushing the weakest to the wall, a statement like this of the Lord from Heaven cannot but appear an utter paradox. The man of the world...

"By [faith] the men of old gained approval" (Heb. 11:2). God makes His approval known to those who trust in Him. The book Catch-22 tells of a squadron of World War II fliers stationed on the fictitious island of Pianos in the Mediterranean. Before a flier could transfer off the island, he had to complete 25 extremely dangerous missions over southern Europe. One flier, Yosarian, was especially anxious to leave. After completing his twenty-fifth mission, his commanding officer began raising the number of qualifying missions. Insanity became the only justification for a transfer. But the commander decided that whomever feigned...

The hand of the Lord was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones, And caused me to pass by them round about: and, behold, there were very many in the open valley; and, lo, they were very dry. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord God, thou knowest.(Ezekiel 37:1-2)Ezekiel has seen visions of the restoration of Israel at the end of the World. At the time he was given this...

"Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom" (James 3:13). A wise person is a gentle person. A believer will demonstrate that he possesses the wisdom of God not only by his behavior, but also by his attitude. True wisdom is characterized by gentleness and is the opposite of self-promotion and arrogance. Gentleness is the trait that characterized our Lord. In Matthew 11:29 He says, "Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart." It is also a trait...

"Faith is . . . the conviction of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). True faith goes beyond assurance to action. When the writer said, "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen", he used two parallel and almost identical phrases to define faith. We've seen that faith is the assurance that all God's promises will come to pass in His time. "The conviction of things not seen" takes the same truth a step further by implying a response to what we believe and are assured of. James addressed the issue this way: "Someone may...

“Therefore say to the Israelites, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: It is not for your sake, people of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Sovereign Lord, when I am proved holy through you before their eyes". (Ezekiel 36:22-23)One of the problems...

The Rev. Billy Graham has issued a written warning to America's churches: "Prepare for persecution." The renowned preacher and founder of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association penned a commentary that was posted on his website last week and is slated to appear in the November edition of Decision magazine. In the magazine, Graham notes that the American church has been largely unfamiliar with persecution, writing that this "immunity to persecution that Christians in our country have experienced in the past two or three centuries is unusual." "As a whole, our nation does not know what privation is. We do not...

One of the signs of the end times is a proliferation of deception and false teaching. That time may be here, as the deceivers have infiltrated formerly solid evangelical churches. In addition to John's broad update on the state of the world, be prepared to be shocked with what you see and hear as John exposes the heresy and false teachings that are infiltrating congregations and universities worldwide. From Liberty University's hosting of Brian Houston, to Passion Church's Halloween intro in Minneapolis, MN, leaders are straying from strong Biblical messages to entertainment venues where style outweighs substance. John also addresses:...

"Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom" (James 3:13). Wisdom is the art of living life skillfully. Most philosophers throughout history have believed that if a person could acquire anything, it should be wisdom, because wisdom would allow him to obtain anything else. That philosophy matches Scripture. Proverbs 4:7 says, "Acquire wisdom; and with all your acquiring, get understanding." Many people claim to be wise, but it's also true that no fool in our world is a self-confessed fool - everyone believes he's an expert. The...

"Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval" (Heb. 11:1-2). Christian faith produces righteous deeds. Hebrews 11 has been called "The Heroes of Faith," "The Faith Chapter," "The Saints' Hall of Fame," "The Honor Roll of the Old Testament Saints," and "The Westminster Abbey of Scripture." Those are appropriate titles because this chapter highlights the virtues of faith as demonstrated in the lives of great Old Testament saints. It also reminds us that without faith, it is impossible to please God. Such a reminder was...

Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord: Thus saith the Lord God; Because the enemy hath said against you, Aha, even the ancient high places are ours in possession: Therefore prophesy and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that ye might be a possession unto the residue of the heathen, and ye are taken up in the lips of talkers, and are an infamy of the people: Therefore, ye mountains of...

October is Pastor Appreciation Month and most churches mark it by honoring their spiritual leader with, say, a dinner or maybe a gift. At Charlotte’s Elevation Church, they did a rap video. Clocking in at nearly three minutes, the rap-and-dance music tribute to Pastor Steven Furtick has a cast of maybe 100, including recognizable church staffers such as Chunks Corbett, Elevation’s chief financial officer. His unsmiling face is the video’s first image. “Pastor Appreciation 2015,” which is taking off on Twitter, is modeled after “Downtown,” a rap video from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. In that video, the rapper is looking...

Last night as we entered into worship as one heart and one Bride, The 7 candlesticks were lit on the communion table with a Star of David illuminated by the candle light . We entered into a flowing free worship and praise and then the spirit began to speak through many of us throughout the night I am going to share the words I captured to help understand all that blossomed. . . Do you see my children I AM wooing "you" for you are more than just my sheep, you are my heart's desire and (as you come together...

Moreover the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against mount Seir, and prophesy against it, And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate. I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. (Ezekiel 35:1-4)The 34-39th chapters of Ezekiel are a prophecy about the final and complete restoration of Israel. The Prophet first addresses the Shepherds of...

"For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus Christ provides us with the perfect example of how to defeat temptation. Perhaps you've heard the joke, "I can resist anything but temptation!" Unfortunately, that is all too often true in our lives. Learning how to successfully resist temptation is vitally important, for we sin only when we yield to temptation. Christians throughout history have recognized the importance of resisting temptation. One early believer wrote, "Fly from all...

"All Scripture is . . . profitable for . . . training in righteousness" (2 Tim. 3:16). God's Word nourishes your spiritual life. We conclude our study of the character and benefits of God's Word by focusing on the benefit that ties all the others together: training in righteousness. Everything the Word accomplishes in you through teaching, reproof, and correction is aimed at increasing your righteousness so you'll "be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (2 Tim. 3:17, NIV). "Training" refers to training or educating a child. The New Testament also uses the term to speak of chastening, which is...

As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high...