Jesus Is Coming, Are You Ready?

I’ve read lots of articles and watched videos of prophets claiming they know the time and day Jesus will come back. The Bible says, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father…Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come…So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” These scriptures would seem to provide a clear answer to the question. No, no one can know when Jesus is coming back. However, those verses do not say that no one will ever be able to know when Jesus will return.

The most important question anyone can ask him/herself is this: “Jesus is coming – am I ready?” To know whether you are ready there must be an interaction of faith with God’s Word.

The word “ready” in terms of Jesus’ return is shown to be a watchful state in Luke 21:36, as follows: “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man”. To be ready, of course, requires initial salvation.

Full story at 1 Africa

What does it mean to call upon the name of the Lord?

The first mention in Scripture of people calling on the name of the Lord is Genesis 4:26: “Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.” Here, to call on the name of the Lord means that people began to gather for corporate worship and seeking the help of the Creator. Cain’s family line is contrasted with Seth’s: descendants of Cain began to practice herding (verse 20), music production (verse 21), and metallurgy (verse 22). At the same time, the world was becoming more and more wicked (verses 19 and 23). Seth’s descendants stood out from their corrupt society in that they began to call on the name of the Lord.

When Abram entered Canaan, he camped between Ai and Bethel. There, “he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 12:8). In other words, Abram publicly thanked God, praised His name, and sought His protection and guidance. Years later, Abraham’s son Isaac built an altar to the Lord in Beersheba and also “called on the name of the Lord” (Genesis 26:25).

To call on the name of the Lord is to invoke His proper name “in audible and social prayer and praise” (Albert Barnes). To call on the name of the Lord is to approach Him in thanksgiving, worship, and petition, and in so doing proclaim the name of God. To call on the name of the Lord is to pray “in a more public and solemn manner” (Matthew Poole). Those who are children of God will naturally call on the name of the Lord.

Full story at Got Questions

I Speak Jesus

Our nation needs Jesus.

I’m sure all of you can agree. There are so much brokenness, hatred, addiction, and darkness in the world, but in the name of Jesus there is wholeness, love, freedom, and light.

It’s not politically correct anymore to speak about Jesus. So, we need boldness, and we need to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to speak His name.

In several passages in Acts, we see Christ-followers being told not to speak about Jesus. We seem them being mistreated and beaten but continuing to speak the name of Jesus! By the name of Jesus they healed, they declared salvation, and they pushed back against the spiritual forces of evil. Their commitment to preach Jesus is inspiring and challenging to read.

Full story at GCC Newton

3 Easy Ways You Can Keep the Sabbath Day Holy 79

The Bible teaches that the Sabbath is a day of rest that we need to keep holy. But what exactly does that mean? How can you keep it holy?

God created the world in six days, and on the seventh day He rested (see Genesis 1:1–Genesis 2:2). This seventh day is the Sabbath day. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, one of His commandments was to “remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8).

The word Sabbath comes from a Hebrew word that means “to rest from labor.” The word holy means something that is sacred or dedicated to God. God wants us to make Sunday, the Sabbath day, feel different from the other days of the week by resting from our normal daily routine and dedicating our thoughts and time to Him. Here are three things anyone can do to make their Sabbath day holy:

Full story at Church of Jesus Christ

How Are We Being Saved Right Now?

Welcome back to this new week on the podcast. Well, the Bible says Christians have been saved in the past. And it says we will be saved in the future. And it says we are being saved right now — being saved. We’re going to look at that last one, the present-tense one, today, in a question from a listener named Jessica.

“Hello, Pastor John. Thank you for answering so many questions on this podcast! Here’s mine: I recently read 1 Corinthians 1:18 with new eyes. I noticed that the word ‘saved’ in my KJV is translated as ‘being saved’ in many other versions. I have heard this explained by teachers with the following rationale for ‘being saved.’ (1) We are eternally saved from judgment of our sins, as Jesus paid it all on the cross — past tense. (2) We are presently being saved from behaving sinfully by walking in the Spirit. And (3) we will be saved from a world filled with sin after our life on earth is over, and we are given our glorified bodies. The church mainly addresses the fact that we have been saved — past tense (1). But can you explain to me (2), and 1 Corinthians 1:18, that we are being saved right now?”

By John Piper

Full story at Desiring God

Let Love Lead

1 Corinthians 13:13, CSB: "Now these three remain: faith, hope, and love--but the greatest of these is love."

Christianity is built on three strong characters. These great characters form the basis of the Christian ministry. Without faith, hope and love, Christianity is bogus and absurd.

There is no way Christianity will make any reasonable sense without the foundation of these three strong characters.

In this passage, Paul responds to the Corinthians' over-emphasis on certain spiritual gifts by showing them that all gifts are worthless and senseless if not practised through godly love.

By Rudolf E. Y. Mensah

Full story at Sermon Central

What Does the Bible Say About God as Our Father?

God the Father

“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom all fatherhood in heaven and on earth is named” (Eph. 3:14–15). Ultimate reality is not cold, dark, empty space. Ultimate reality is the Father reaching out and gathering in sinners as his own dear children through the grace of Jesus the Son. Graciously, our heavenly Father shares the wonder of his fatherhood with us men. To be a father, therefore, is a sacred privilege and a high calling.

Unique to the Bible is the vision of the one God as the Trinity—God the rejoicing Father, God the obedient Son, and God the loving Spirit as the Presence between the Father and the Son. It is amazing but not surprising, then, that such a God would create us fathers on earth to embody something of his glorious fatherhood above.

By: Ray Ortlund

Full story at Cross Way