…His mother and brothers were…seeking to speak to Him. And someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are…seeking to speak to You.” But He answered…”Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” …”For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven… is My brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 10:46-50 NASB).
In past weeks Pastor Pauley implored us to “contend for the faith” while expositing the book of Jude. And when Elder Don Burnard taught on a recent Lord’s Day, I was affected in a whole different way. He explained that a Christian’s obedience to Christ might cause a significant fracturing of their earthly family. I believe he was absolutely right! His perspective gave me a whole different dimension to what “contending for the faith” encompassed. Read more…
Posted on October 1st, 2009 by Robert
Filed under: From the Pew
In a recent sermon, Pastor Pauley implored believers to always live godly, especially amidst this perverse and wicked society. As he exposits the small epistle of Jude, Pastor Pauley adamantly declared that believers must obey what the word of God teaches. Jude listed several examples from the Old Testament to illustrate just how ungodly living manifested itself. Incidentally, this ungodly living did not go unpunished by God, and today’s Christians can wisely learn from Jude’s examples. Read more…
Posted on September 1st, 2009 by Robert
Filed under: From the Pew
When Pastor Pauley outlined the epistle of Jude a few weeks ago and cited the last two verses, verses 24-25, I was reminded of its wondrous benediction. Perhaps, it is one of the most magnificent and reassuring doxologies recorded in the New Testament. It definitely brings us back to Jude’s initial intention for writing this small, powerful epistle about “our common salvation” (Jude 3). Read more…
Posted on June 1st, 2009 by Robert
Filed under: From the Pew
We have been reminded by Jude during our Sunday morning worship, not to forget what the Scriptures teach about God’s judgment on those who failed to abide by His Word (Jude 5). Jude used some vivid and tragic illustrations from the Old Testament to emphasize this point (Jude 5-7, 11, 14-15). Read more…
Posted on May 1st, 2009 by Robert
Filed under: From the Pew
We have been [studying in our morning service] for a while now that Jude’s succinct epistle is a warning to believers that false teachers will “creep in” among them and seek to infiltrate the church. Read more…
Posted on April 1st, 2009 by Robert
Filed under: From the Pew
Jude, Jesus Christ’s half brother, was well aware of a proliferation of false teachers who threatened the church, and he knew he had to address this evil and rapidly growing cancer. He wanted to write a simple, encouraging epistle to believers about their “common salvation”. But because of the serious threat of false teachers, he instead wrote a stern warning prompting Christians to “earnestly contend” for the faith (Jude 3). Read more…
Posted on March 1st, 2009 by Robert
Filed under: Elim Refresher Newsletter, From the Pew
A storm began to rage as Jesus Christ’s disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee. It was an excursion they had routinely made numerous times before; in fact, some of them were fishermen by trade. They knew exactly how to handle various weather conditions, yet, during this particular voyage, Scripture tells us that a dreadful “tempest” engulfed them with such ferocity; it caused panic. Even the seasoned fishermen aboard the ship, were no match for the tumultuous storm that overtook them (Matthew 8:23-24, NKJV). Incidentally, Webster’s Dictionary defines “tempest” as: a violent windstorm accompanied by heavy rain and possibly hail. Read more…
Posted on November 1st, 2008 by Robert
Filed under: From the Pew
Recently, as Pastor Pauley carefully preached through the Gospels, reaching the climax of Jesus Christ’s resurrection, I found myself mulling over the Apostle Paul’s first epistle to the Corinthians, particularly the first half of the fifteenth chapter. There, Paul sheds light on the necessity for all Christians to believe in Jesus’ resurrection. Paul not only presents the truth of the Resurrection itself, but also how vain Christianity would be if the event never occurred. Belief in the Resurrection is the foundation of Christianity and the most important event in all of human history! Read more…
Posted on October 1st, 2008 by Robert
Filed under: From the Pew