Tag Archives: faith

Do Faithful Christians Suffer?

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Some have been persuaded by false teachings or simply their own misunderstanding that by having “enough faith” and “claiming God’s promises” he or she will be blessed with good health, prosperity, and a life free of serious trials. But does God’s word in fact support the idea that a faithful Christian will experience such a physical lifetime in this age?

Despite the fact that some proponents of what has been called the “prosperity gospel” have garnered huge followings and massive amounts of money encouraging a distorted idea of what the Bible teaches in respect to how God works in our lives, one who takes a view such as described above is bound to be disappointed at some point in his or her life.

While God certainly does promise blessings for faithful obedience to his word, it’s also clear from the teachings and examples found in Scripture that the life of a genuine Christian in this age is challenging, and often calls for courage, sacrifice, and suffering. Why does God allow suffering, even for the faithful, and how may we profit from the trials we encounter as we strive to please and serve God?

Copyright © 2024 by Messenger Church of God

Unless otherwise noted Scripture taken from the New King James VersionTM
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.

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Messenger Church of God
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Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

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Who Are the “Nicolaitans”?

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Some writers from the second century onward attempted to link the Nicolaitans (Revelation 2:6, 15) with the deacon Nicolas (or Nicolaus) mentioned in Acts 6:5. However, as the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia states, “The historical value of these attempts is debatable, and the paucity of information about either Nicolaus or the Nicolaitans makes such a connection questionable – especially in the light of Luke’s portrayal of Nicolaus’s Christian character” (“Nicolaus,” vol. 3, Eerdmans revised edition, 1986, p. 534).

Whether or not there was ever a specific sect that called themselves “Nicolaitans,” as used in Revelation “Nicolaitans” is a symbolic term for haters of God’s law who by their teachings lead members of God’s Church and others into committing idolatry and spiritual adultery or fornication (and perhaps literal fornication or adultery, as well; Revelation 2:6, 14-15).

One might ask though, why was this term chosen?

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Christian Love, Part 1

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We are instructed in Scripture to examine ourselves, to see if we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). How can one know if “Jesus Christ is in” himself, or herself? Is there a measuring stick we can use for this purpose? Is it how often we attend church services, or church activities? Is it what church we belong to? Is it Bible knowledge? Or something else?

Jesus said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: `You shall love your neighbor as yourself'” (Matthew 22:37-39). We are instructed to “walk in love” (Ephesians 5:2). John wrote, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love” (I John 4:8). We are to strive to become like God (Leviticus 19:2; Matthew 5:45).

Scripture says, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (I John 4:16). But merely professing to love God or our neighbors is not enough. We are to love “in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18).

But what is love? How is love defined? Are there specific items we can examine to test how we measure up, and how we can improve? Find answers in this message, as these questions are addressed in some detail, so we may follow the admonitions we are given, and with God’s help, improve our standing before him in terms of love.

Copyright © 2024 by Messenger Church of God

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

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Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

Smoke Ascends Forever?

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Will the wicked really be tormented forever in hell? In this sermon, pastor Rod Reynolds examines in detail passages in the book of Revelation that have traditionally been used to establish the common belief in a never-ending hellfire reserved for punishment of the wicked. To understand what the Bible says about hell, we must carefully study the context of the scriptures in question.

Copyright © 2024 by Messenger Church of God

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

cogmessenger.org

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA

Did Jesus Fulfill the Law?

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The Apostle Paul warned that “in the last days perilous times will come” (II Timothy 3:1). Jesus warned that as the time for his second coming approaches “because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). Certainly we are living today in increasingly “perilous times,” and witnessing increasingly pervasive lawlessness of historical proportions.

Unfortunately, popular “Christianity,” while historically having some moderating influence on the natural human tendancy toward lawlessness, and encouraging moral restraint, has at the same time tended to encourage lawlessness through erroneous teachings regarding the laws of God. One rather common misunderstanding is the idea that Jesus “fulfilled the law” for us, so we don’t have to, although the idea may not necessarily be stated in such stark terms.

This has been by no means necessarily a teaching of all professing Christian Churches or ministers, but is nevertheless a misunderstanding among many who view themselves as Christians, that has been fostered at least partly by doctrines taught within their churches.

What is the real meaning of Jesus’ statement concerning fulfilling the law, and how does that affect your obligations concerning God’s word?

Copyright © 2024 by Messenger Church of God

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

cogmessenger.org

Messenger Church of God
PO Box 619
Wentzville, MO 63385
USA