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Pastor’s Blog

The Accuracy of the OT Prophet

The accuracy of a Prophet Prophets and there message are to be completely accurate.  The test of complete accuracy is a starting point in determining if the message is from God.  If the message or the signs accompanying it fail to occur, God is very clear that the ‘the prophet has spoken presumptuously’and ‘that is a message the Lord has not spoken’(Deuteronomy 18:22). False prophets and their messages should not be feared or heeded. Some have argued that this Deuteronomy passage only relates to Jesus…

The means by which Prophets declare their message in the OT

  Living parables – Ahijah declares his message to Jeroboam by tearing a robe into 12 pieces and giving 10 pieces to the north and 2 to the south (1Kin 11:29-32). Fictional stories – Nathan weaves a story to convict David of his sin when he has Uriah killed (1Sam 12:1ff). An unnamed prophet does the same thing to Ahab for releasing Ben-Hadad (1Kin 20:35-43). Sometimes with signs – Hezekiah to live by making the sun back up 10 steps…

The means by which Prophets receive their message in the OT

Deuteronomy 18:14-22 discusses God’s prophets in relationship to the sorcerers and diviners of the surrounding nations. This is interesting for it implies that the office of prophets and that work of sorcerers and diviners may appear to be similar –both are seeking to guide people and receive that guidance from another realm –but there are some fundamental differences that this passage brings out.  Prophets of God receive their message directly from the Lord. God’s word is put ‘in his mouth’ and he must speak everything…

The Calling and Job of a Prophet in the Old Testament

The Call of the Prophet God’s prophets are always just that, God’s prophets, while false prophets are referred to as belonging to someone else –Ahab (1Kings 22:22). God does not pay attention to sex when calling his prophets, for there are female prophetess’in the Word.  Deborah is the most notable example (Judges 4:4), though Miriam is also called a prophetess (Exodus 15:20) and so is Huldah (2Chronicles 34:22, 2Kings 22:14). Jeremiah was called from birth (Jer 1:5), Amos in adulthood…

An Outline of the NT Teaching on Apostles

The Greek word for Apostle is Apostolos.  This Greek word is used 80 times in New Testament in three main ways.  First it can designate one of the official 12 men who walked with Jesus and were the first witnesses to his resurrection to the world.  Second it can designate a person sent with good news to proclaim.  Third it can designate a gift.  The following outline provides key insights on each meaning of the word: Designation for the 12…

A Poem on Suffering by a Chinese Christian

Only a seasoned Saint, who has suffered much for his faith could write the Poem that follows. Zhang Rongliang has spent 1/4 of his life in Chinese prisons for the crime of preaching Jesus. He has been beaten, tortured, starved, humiliated, worked hard and endured countless other forms of punishment simply because he refuses to denounce Jesus and he leads others to Christ. Reflect on these words about suffering and see if they give you a new insight into the…

Pentecost 2018 Joint Worship and Prayer Service

This past Sunday, We had a wonderful joint service with participants from four area churches representing 6 languages.  Hope in Christ hosted what hopes to be its first annual international pentecost Prayer and worship Service.  Iglesia hispana de Lynden, the Ethiopian and Eritrean Members of Whatcom New Life Assembly, and members of Bellingham’s Chinese Christian Church all participated along with some of the area’s native Dutch speakers.  This was a wonderful 1 ½ hours of multiethnic worship and prayer for…

Scripture Prayer Guides to help invigorate your Prayer Life

While preparing for a sermon I ran across this great set of scripture saturated prayer guides from SIMUSA to help Christians pray for a whole host of topics and people. Check some of them out based on where you would like to learn to pray more scripturally informed prayers. Worship Give Thanks to God Praise God through the Psalms 1 Praise God through the Psalms 2 Praise God through the Psalms 3 Worship God with a Focus on His Attributes…

What does it mean to be the temple of God?

“Learn [as follows]. Having received the forgiveness of sins, and placed our trust in the name of the Lord, we have become new creatures, formed again from the beginning. Wherefore in our habitation God truly dwells in us. How? His word of faith; His calling of promise; the wisdom of the statutes; the commands of the doctrine; He himself prophesying in us; He himself dwelling in us; opening to us who were enslaved by death the doors of the temple,…