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THE CHURCH WHICH IS HIS BODY; THE FULLNESS OF HIM Ephesians 1:23; Colossians 1:18, 19 Could any pastor of any local church stand and say the following?: "The church which I pastor is ‘the fullness of Christ.'" We know of only a handful of churches (no more than that, though there are probably more) which are what may be described as "Philadelphian churches in the Laodicean age." Not one of their pastors would have the gall or intrepidity to declare that the church that he pastors is "the fullness of Christ." No single local church in history has ever been...

A GAP At present, we are in a "PROPHESY GAP," which began with Israel's final rejection of her King (Acts 7-28). As examples (among very many).... A GAP of centuries exists between "And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:"- GAP -"But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of...

THE CHURCH BUILT UPON THE ROCK Matthew 16:18 The church of Matthew 16:13-20 is Davidic Israel; redeemed Israel, under her King and His Kingdom principles (i.e. Matthew chapters 5 through 7), and under the New Covenant (Matthew 16:16-19; Hebrews chapter 8; Jeremiah 31:31). The church of Matthew chapter 16 (since Acts chapter 28 especially) should now be viewed as the Israelitish church of future (Millennial) prophecy. As far as its earthly presence and position, it is in abeyance. There is no scriptural warrant to suppose that Jesus' disciples understood anything more in Matthew chapter 16 than the fulfillment of the...

THE CHURCH IN THE WILDERNESS Acts 7:38 The first "church" in the Bible consisted of the Children of Israel; an assembly which was called out of Egypt into the wilderness for definite purposes (e.g. Deuteronomy 4:1-13). This is the church in the wilderness, led by God's servant Moses (Acts 7:38). Israel was corporately God's firstborn son (Ex. 4:22) and God called that son out of Egypt (Hosea 11:1). Yes, Hosea prophesied of God's only begotten Son, Jesus (Matthew 2:15), because Israel itself, as a corporate Nation, was an Old Testament type of Christ, according to the flesh. The fact that...

Over the past 33 years I have heard members of various groups of professing Christian people cite Matthew 16:13-19 and apply it either to their specific denomination or to the Body of Christ in general. There are more, probably, but the ones I have direct knowledge of are as follows: 1. Roman Catholics; to them the church mentioned in the passage is the Catholic, or the Roman Catholic Church, depending on who I might have been speaking to. My own dad was a Catholic until 1975, and he almost always used the expression “Roman Catholic” (until 1975 always defending it)....

THE QUESTION that CHANGED MY LIFE -by David Ryser A number of years ago, I had the privilege of teaching at a school of ministry. My students were hungry for God, and I was constantly searching for ways to challenge them to fall more in love with Jesus and to become voices for revival in the Church. I came across a quote attributed most often to Rev. Sam Pascoe. It is a short version of the history of Christianity, and it goes like this:

Matthew 6:1 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 5:9 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

TAKE UP YOUR SWORD AND FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT Dr. Paul L. Williams SUNDAY MEDITATION: “For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear,...

Matthew 6:6 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 28:18-20 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

"When he finally arrives, blazing in beauty and all his angels with him, the Son of Man will take his place on his glorious throne. Then all the nations will be arranged before him and he will sort the people out, much as a shepherd sorts out sheep and goats, putting sheep to his right and goats to his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation. And here's why: I was...

Matthew Dowd is "GTT", W is too.

“The Truth about Sheep and Goats” (Matthew 25:31-46)Did you know you are mentioned in today’s Gospel reading? Yes, you are! Listen: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.” Dear friends, you and I will be there when this happens, either among the sheep or...

“Talents on Loan from God” (Matthew 25:14-30)“Talent on loan from God.” So proclaims a certain radio host. At first, it sounds like he’s bragging about himself, as though he’s “oh so talented.” Of course, he’s speaking tongue-in-cheek, to play with his image. But as he himself explains in a more serious vein, to say, “talent on loan from God,” is really saying something about God, namely, that whatever talent we have is a gift from God, on loan from God, and thus any credit or glory goes ultimately to God. That is very true. And that message comes through loud...

“A Foolish, Self-Imposed Oil Shortage” (Matthew 25:1-13)Some people might say it’s rather stupid to be in need of oil when there is plenty available and you’re just not taking advantage of it. Such a situation could be called, “A Foolish, Self-Imposed Oil Shortage.” And no, I’m not talking about those who refuse to “drill, baby, drill.” But the same sort of idea does apply to today’s Gospel reading, the Parable of the Ten Virgins. Five of them were wise and five were foolish, and when the time came that they all needed oil, five of them were caught short by...

“Joe the Pharisee and the Question about Taxes” (Matthew 22:15-22)A popular figure comes to town, a man leading a movement, the man who has been in the news more than anyone else the last couple of years. People are eager to hear his message about “hope” and “change.” And of course there are people who want to ask him questions, to get his views on a variety of subjects affecting the nation. So someone comes forward to ask him a question about . . . taxes. Taxes--an important question, one that gets the attention of the crowd. Everyone is wondering:...

“Forgiveness Doesn’t Count” (Matthew 18:21-35)“Forgiveness Doesn’t Count.” Oh, don’t get me wrong! I don’t mean that it’s not important. No, forgiveness counts for a lot in that respect. In fact, it’s everything. We’d be lost without it. But when I say, “Forgiveness Doesn’t Count,” I mean it in the way that Jesus teaches it, which is to say, forgiveness doesn’t keep score. Forgiveness doesn’t count--it doesn’t keep score or keep track of--how many times it has to forgive or how much sin it has to have mercy on. That’s the way it is with God toward us, and that’s the...

Meltdown at MessNBC Olbermann, Matthews relieved as co-anchor chairs during any more political coverage on MSNBC, the leftist network rated lowest during convention coverage.

“On This Rock I Will Build My Church” (Matthew 16:13-20)Everyone is interested in building the church, growing the church. Uh, let me rephrase that. Everyone who is already in the church and active and involved in the church is interested in building and growing the church. People on the outside, as well as those with only a loose connection to the church--they don’t give a rip. But those of us at least who are here regularly in church, we care about the church being built up and growing. Nobody wants to see the church fail or decline or decrease in...