Marching Forth!

" As I urged you when I went into Macedonia--remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine,  4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith ." 1 Timothy 1:3-4 Paul urged Timothy to remain in Ephesus for the purpose of directing some to teach no other doctrine than those that result in godly edification in faith.  In his introduction Paul mentioned Jesus Christ our hope along with with grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Jesus our Saviour.  These are fundamental Gospel truths that adorn all sound doctrine in scripture.  Previously in Corinth Paul kept Christ central in his preaching, for he determined not to anything among them except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. As in modern times, there were some in Ephesus who taught, emphasised and discussed topics or doctrines that promoted controversy.  It is possible for genuine believers to be swept up ...

The Bible is full of heroes of faith in God who are not mentioned in Hebrews 11 .  In some cases we are not even given their names, yet they remain worthy of our admiration and emulation.  The living God does wondrous things through people who trust and fear Him, and blessed are those who put their lives in His hands. Jonathan and his young armour-bearer are a fine example of men who banded together in the fear of God.  They did not consider the "odds" of winning or defeat in battle; they were not buoyed by aspirations of fame nor hesitated at the potential personal cost.   1 Samuel 14:6-7 reads, " Then Jonathan said to the young man who bore his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; it may be that the LORD will work for us. For nothing restrains the LORD from saving by many or by few."  7 So his armorbearer said to him, "Do all that is in your heart. Go then; here I am with you, according to your heart ."  Jona...

" But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.  9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,  10  who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.  11  Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing ." 1 Thessalonians 5:8-11 There are many kinds of appointments we have daily, and some of these are arranged and kept by us and others by God.  Yesterday I accompanied my parents to a doctor's appointment, the kind of appointment one would rather not have.  It would be wonderful if we never were sick and doctor's appointments were unnecessary, but having an appointment with a skilled physician is a blessing when you have cancer and want to be rid of it. I was encouraged by this passage in 1 Thessalonians 5 that tells us that God has not appointed us to wrath but...

It is the revelation of God in His word that teaches us of His ways and thoughts that are higher than ours.  Great error is inevitable when we depart from the scripture and rely upon personal experience to determine what is doctrinally true.  Drifting into the fallacy of personal experience can be subtle, and even people who hold to the Bible being the word of God are not exempt from the resulting bias.  Better than limiting the way God can or will do something by our experience, we are wise to hold to God's word as truth and guidance for life. Recently I read a book by an author I respect who holds the Bible in high esteem.  While there were times he referenced scripture to explain doctrines, his positions were greatly weakened by straw man arguments and the fallacy of personal experience.  Because he had not seen someone who could heal "on command," he dismissed the possibility anyone could be given gifts of healing today.  I am not convinced anyone gift...