CHRISTIANITY.

  Romans 1:15 (15) So, as much as is in me,  I am  ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also. New King James Version     Change your email Bible version "Paul's statement is very significant in terms of what "preaching  the gospel " means. Paul, writing to an already established Christian congregation, wanted to go to Rome to preach the gospel to them! Why would he do that? Were they not already converted? Yes, they were! Paul compliments them earlier: "First, I thank my  God  through  Jesus Christ  for you all, that your  faith  is spoken of throughout the whole world" ( Romans 1:8 ). The congregation in Rome was remarkable, renowned for its faith. Can a congregation be recognized for world-renowned faith only upon conversion? Though Paul had never been to Rome, these Roman Christians had been converted some time earlier after hearing the gospel through other ministers. They were growing, and Pau...

Acts 24:14 But this I confess to you, that according to the Way which they call a sect, so I worship the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the Law and in the Prophets.  ( New King James Version)   "Paul is on trial before Felix, the governor. "They" refers to the Jews. Paul says, "I confess," as he is giving testimony. He is a witness before a court, as he is on trial. "The way" is Christianity, which the Jews call a heresy. ""Believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets" is really an astounding statement in light of what has gone on in Protestantism over the past few hundred years. The very man whom they say wrote most clearly and lucidly that "the law is done away" is the one who says he believes  all things  that are written in the Law and the Prophets. There is absolutely nothing in the Law and the Prophets that says anything at all about the doing away with...

HOW IS YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD or DID YO COME ACROSS A "STUMBLING BLOCK"     Genesis 25:29-34 (29) Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he  was  weary. (30) And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red  stew,  for I  am  weary." Therefore his name was called Edom. (31) But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day." (32) And Esau said, "Look, I  am  about to die; so what  is  this birthright to me?" (33) Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day." So he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. (34) And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose, and went his way. Thus Esau despised  his  birthright.  New King James Version "Perhaps never in all man's history has something so valuable been purchased for so little! The major flaw in Esau's character reveals itself in his careless disregard of the high value of his bi...

John 5:39-40 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.  ( New King James Version) "The word "search" is  ereuano  in Greek, and means "to search, examine into." It can imply "to search by uncovering; to search minutely; to explore; to strip, to make bare; to search by feeling, by touch." "Homer, in  The Iliad , used this word to indicate a lioness and her dedication to her cubs. They were lost, and she was on a huge plain searching very carefully everywhere. In  The Odyssey , he used the same word to picture a dog tracking its prey - having its nose on the ground and never losing the scent. "Metaphorically, it can be used to describe one digging deep for treasure and precious metal, breaking every single clod that nothing would be missed. It means to shake and to sift until every meaning o...

Matthew 9:8 - Now when the multitudes saw it, they marveled and glorified God, who had given such power to men.   (New King James Version) Mark 2:12 - Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!"   (New King James Version) Luke 5:26 - And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, "We have seen strange things today!"   (New King James Version) "The people were stunned, moved to glorify God , filled with fear, and confounded. It is no surprise that the witnesses to the miracle were amazed at the astounding healing. Each of the three gospel writers uses a different Greek word to express a variation of a state of awe. Nevertheless, considering the great impact this miracle had on observers, most of them were not moved to have faith in God. Though filled with awe at His mighty works, ...

  Matthew 13:3-9 (3) Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: "Behold, a sower went out to sow. (4) And as he sowed, some  seed  fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. (5) Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. (6) But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. (7) And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. (8) But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. (9) He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" New King James Version     Change your email Bible version "The  seed  is the Word of  God , and its hitting the ground is not the end of the story. A variety of things can happen that will affect the growth of that seed. Some might fall on stone, others might be buried too deep. Rain may come a...

Galatians 1:6-8(6) I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, (7) which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Galatians 4:8-10(8) But then, indeed, when you did not know God, you served those which by nature are not gods. (9) But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how  is it that  you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage? (10) You observe days and months and seasons and years.  (New King James Version) "Paul penned the book of Galatians because church members in Galatia were turning away from the true gospel and had embraced a false one ( Galatians 1:6-7 ). Early on, Paul had to establish his credentials - that  the gospel  ...

2 Timothy 3:15-17 - and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.  (New King James Version) “At the time Paul wrote this, "all scripture is inspired of God, and is profitable" referred to the Old Testament. Paul probably did not know that what he was writing would become Scripture. “At its worst, saying that the law—or any portion of the Bible—is "done away" could be spiritually suicidal. At the very least, it will hinder growth because a person will not be thoroughly furnished to all good works. It is similar in principle to a student attending school who ignores certain selected sections of the textbook on the basis of his own percepti...

Hebrews 2:14-15 - "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (New King James Version) "Some religions make no mention of Satan as a reality. Others include him as a reality and enemy, yet they make little or no accounting of him actively working to destroy mankind and God's purpose. Jesus makes no bones about Satan actively working to destroy men. In John 8:44 , in accusing the Jews of unbelief, He puts Satan's nature in plain words: ""You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the fa...

Proverbs 8:13    (13) The fear of the LORD  is  to hate evil; Pride and arrogance and the evil way And the perverse mouth I hate. New King James Version "What does "the fear of the Lord" entail? Another proverb,  Proverbs 9:10 , helps us to understand: "The fear of the L ORD  is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." While  Proverbs 8:13  defines what the fear of the Lord  is ,  Proverbs 9:10  shows what it  produces . Understanding the effect of the fear of the Lord will help us to understand the cause. "This verse uses a Hebraism in which the two clauses are written in parallel. The "fear of the L ORD " in the first clause is linked to "knowledge of the Holy One" in the second, while the "beginning of wisdom" corresponds to "understanding." Most translations hide the fact that the Hebrew word rendered as "Holy One" is actually plural. It refers...

...IF YOU KNOW THE FACTS!     ( http://www.theberean.org/ )   FIND OUT HOW YOU CAN LIVE YOUR LIFE FREE FROM WORRY. CLICK LINK FOR FREE INFORMATION.   Ecclesiastes 7:11-14    Wisdom is good with an inheritance, And profitable to those who see the sun.  For wisdom is a defense as money is a defense, But the excellence of knowledge is that wisdom gives life to those who have it.  Consider the work of God; For who can make straight what He has made crooked?  In the day of prosperity be joyful, But in the day of adversity consider: Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other, So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.   Solomon is comparing two powers that offer their possessors the ability to defend themselves against many of the vicissitudes of life. On the one hand is money and on the other, wisdom . Money can help one avoid and even preserve a person f...