Mercy!
Matthew 5:7 states, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” The Greek word translated merciful, literally means “actively compassionate.” True or false: God expects us to show mercy to every offender, More →
Category: love
Avoid the Woes! (Part 2)
Altar, Arbitrary Rulings, Avoid the Woes! (Part 2), Bibles, Blind, Blind Guides, Blog, Commitment, David, Dwells, Erik Garthe, Faith, Fools, Gift, Gold of the Temple, Heaven, Hypocrisy, Hypocrites, Integrity, Jesus, Justice, Legalism, Lord, love, Mercy, No Longer Conformed, Non-Binding, Oaths, Obliged, Person, Pharisees, Problem, Promise, Reliable, Religious Leaders, Scribes, Scripture, Sincerity, Swears, Tabernacle, Temple, Throne of God, Tithe, Trust, Uncategorized, Woes
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Hypocrisy is a problem for many, but it doesn’t have to be. When Jesus confronted the religious leaders in Matthew 23:13-33, He revealed how to avoid the woes by declaring the opposites of integrity. Continuing … More →
Do You Love God?
Adam, Affections, Blog, Christ’s Salvation, Create, Despise, Do You Love God?, Earthly Treasures, Erik Garthe, Eternal Life, Eternal Treasures, Examination, Fellowship, Forever, Garden, God, Heart, Imagine, Initiative, Jesus Christ, Ladder of Life, Life, Lord, love, Loyal, Mammon, Masters, Mind, No Longer Conformed, Opportunity, Prize, Purpose, Relationship, Soul, Strength, Talent, Time, Treasure, Treasures in Heaven, world
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Matthew 22:37 reads, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Why did God create you—what is your purpose in life? Imagine climbing the ladder of life and when you reach the top rung, More →
The Unpardonable Sin
Beelzebul, Blasphemy, Blog, Christ, Erik Garthe, Forgiveness, God’s Voice, God’s Word, Holy Spirit, Ignorant, love, Miracle, No Longer Conformed, Pharisees, Prince of Demons, Reason, Satan, Sin, Son of David, The Unparsonable Sin, Truth, Unpardonable
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A miracle performed by Jesus provoked two different responses: (a) the people—“Can this be the Son of David?” (Matthew 12:23); and (b) the Pharisees—“It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man More →
Criticize Wisely
Blog, Criticize Wisely, Discrimination, Erik Garthe, Humility, Hypocrisy, Hypocrite, Judge, Judging, Judgment, love, Mockery, No Longer Conformed, Ridicule, Truth, Wisdom, witness
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Jesus begins Matthew 7:1-6 by stating, “Judge not.” Does that mean never make any kind of judgment? Judge not does not mean not to evaluate right from wrong: the issue is intent to condemn. Righteous judgments are More →
Hard to Swallow
Attitude, Bitterness, Blog, Enemy, Erik Garthe, Gift, Give, Hard to Swallow, Injury, Kindness, love, No Longer Conformed, Obedience, Persecution, Prayer, Retaliation, Retribution, Revenge
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The law of revenge “lex talionis” dates to the Code of Hammurabi (1800’s BC); it sought the destruction of the wrongdoer. The Mosaic Law brought the principle of limiting retribution to what was just. Retaliation was limited to More →
Law under Grace
Abolish, Affirmed, Biblical Authority, Blog, Ceremonial Law, Erik Garthe, Fulfill, God’s Word, Grace, Inerrancy, Inspiration, Judicial Law, Law, Law under Grace, love, Moral Law, No Longer Conformed, Obeyed, Valued
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Are Christians to keep the Old Testament law? Matthew 5:17-20 indicates that our faith is related to Jesus’ relationship to the law. First, Jesus Christ fulfilled the law—“I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (v. 17) Two words More →
The Right Stuff
Blog, Compassion, Doctrine, Erik Garthe, Eternal Life, Faith, Hope, Labor, Longsuffering, love, Ministry, No Longer Conformed, Problems, Spiritual Growth, The Right Stuff
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We all must deal with problems: how we handle them affects how we survive them. “Why?” is the natural question. The first chapter of 2 Thessalonians gives insight for dealing with problems. The apostle Paul provides a prescription … More →
Turned Upside Down
Blog, Erik Garthe, Faith, Gospel, Hope, love, No Longer Conformed, Turned Upside Down
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When Paul arrived at Thessalonica, the city leaders declared, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here also.” (Acts 17:6) Our world needs to be turned upside down! The gospel message needs to impact this present darkness. More →
Another Key to Growth
Affection, Another Key to Growth, Blog, Encouragement, Erik Garthe, Faith, Fellowship, love, No Longer Conformed, Service, Spiritual Growth, Truth, Unity
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Doug Fields of Saddleback Valley Community Church has a test to determine the need of encouragement: “If the person is breathing, he needs encouragement.” The support we gain from one another is essential to our spiritual maturity. More →
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