DISCIPLE

  By that I mean, do you have an emotional attachment to Christmas trees, wreaths and such? Religious interest in trees is an ancient pagan tradition, but not a Christian one.      The Egyptians, Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Sumerians all had holy trees that they decorated and venerated.   Egyptian  Throneroom of palace of Asurnasirpal II    Sacred tree venerated in a Babylonian seal Adorning and worshiping a holy tree   Sacred babylonian tree     Sacred tree in the palace of Nimrod (British Museum) Celtic Sacred Tree of Life      Pagans attribute divinity, mystical powers, healing and health to trees. In Wicca, trees are symbols of nature's power, representing the "tree of life" that supposedly connects the earthy, spiritual and divine realms. Various trees hold specific magical properties. None of these things are taught in Scripture.    The Christmas tree is an adaptation of those ancient...

Vatican Nativity Scene "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."  Exodus 20.3-4   The second commandment includes making or using any religious icons, images, sculptures made of clay, stone, wood, metal, or other materials. Simply put, God strictly forbids it. The same prohibition is repeated in Deuteronomy 4.15-18. Scripture calls these images idols, and those who use them are called idolaters.  Yes, even in the New Testament! How serious is this matter? According to 1 Corinthians 5.11 no idolater should be admitted to a church, and according to Ephesians 5.5 no idolater has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and ...

  In Matthew 22:21, our Lord gave a very important instruction.   “Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.” There is a clear division between Caesar –human government—and God. According to Romans 13, we indeed have a responsibility to the government. But it pales in comparison to our greater responsibility to God. When Christ spoke those words, they were a rebuke to Israel, which had abandoned its responsibility to God and as a result had become the tail, not the head, of the nations. The coin with Caesar’s inscription, in daily use in Israel, showed that they were under Rome, a Gentile government. Like the fourth beast of Daniel 7—the Roman Empire—Caesar ruled because God had established it that way. That coin with Caesar’s likeness, found in Jewish pockets, was itself a violation of the second commandment against the making of any image or likeness of anything (Ex. 20:4; Rom. 1.23).   In effect, the Lor...

  One would like to be optimistic about the current state of American culture. But one must be realistic. Some of us remember when our culture was quite different. What are signs that there has been a deterioration of law and order, decency and honesty? Before the 1960's illegal drug traffic was very minimal. There was some drug traffic in the big cities but the country as a whole was spared. The Beatles in their songs and life style glorified the use of marijuana. LSD became popular and the hard drugs followed. Today drug use has infiltrated the whole country; even smaller towns and villages have their drug users and dealers. It is a curse in the country, maiming and destroying the lives of many. The law is flaunted by millions who use illegal drugs. Drug use encourages other crime, burglaries and robberies to buy the drug. It is hardly a sign of a society that respects law. Crime has escalated. Rape is more and more common, along with murder and crimes of violence. Domestic viole...

Isaiah is referring rather to the fact that, when He came, Jesus possessed none of those outward characteristics for which Israel was looking. They expected the Messiah to come as a temporal conqueror and prince, appearing in great pomp and grandeur, to deliver them from the Roman yoke and restore their nation to its former splendour and glory. But what did they see?      They saw nothing in Jesus that corresponded to their expectations. They saw no royal robes, no diadems on His brow, no magnificent reninue in attendance, no men of earthly rank and status to support His cause. They saw only a Galilean tradesman, accompanied by a small band of untutored followers and supported by a group of pious women. In their eyes He therefore lacked both "form" (that which is fair and favoured) and "comleliness" (honor, majesty and excellency), for He offered them none of the eternal insignia of royalty which they associated with the coming Messiah.      Consider the r...

  What does this mean? Is it a new denomination? No, it’s a description of a certain group of Christians, very widespread today. It means Sunday Morning Only. “Sunday morning only” Christians attend a meeting only on Sunday mornings and are absent from the others: the gospel meeting, prayer meeting and Bible study. Numbers in attendance are high on Sunday morning, but sadly low at all the other meetings.     This is not biblical behavior, for Acts 2:42 describes the conduct of the early Christians: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Not occasionally, but rather, they “continued steadfastly.” The Common English Bible translates, “The believers devoted themselves.” In the Amplified Bible we read, “They were continually and faithfully devoting themselves.” No one meeting was considered more important than the others.      In our experience we have seen many Roman Catholic...

   by William MacDonald "This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you .”" (Exodus 12:2) New Year’s resolutions are good but fragile, that is, easily broken. New Year’s prayers are better; they ascend to the throne of God and set answering wheels in motion. As we come to the beginning of another year, we would do well to make the following prayer requests our own: · Lord Jesus, I rededicate myself afresh to You today. I want you to take my life this coming year and use it for Your glory. “Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.” · I pray that You will keep me from sin, from anything that will bring dishonor to Your Name. · Keep me teachable by the Holy Spirit. I want to move forward for You. Don’t let me settle in a rut. · May my motto this year be, “He must increase; I must decrease.” The glory must all be Yours. Help me not to touch it. · Teach me to make every decision a matter of prayer...