Sat, Jun 30th - 11:29PM

Matthew 24:14

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.

One sign of the end times is the Gospel will be preached throughout the world.  We know live in a time that this is possible through the internet.  I myself volunteer for a group that evangelizes throughout the world via the internet.  I have talked to people throughout the world about Christ including many countries that is closed to missionaries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Vietnam and other Muslim and Communist countries that is often hostile to the Gospel.  God’s desires that all hear the Gospel before His final judgment on the world but the sad fact is even though many will hear the Gospel many will still refuse salvation in Christ but our role in this as disciples of Christ is to continue to tell the world about Christ until He returns. 

Fri, Jun 29th - 11:39PM

Matthew 24:12

Matthew 24:12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. (NLT)

I think we can say there is an increase in sin today.  We have completely thrown the Biblical definition of marriage out the window and if you try to make a stand for the Biblical definition of marriage you are labeled as hateful and intolerant.  Porn is at our fingertips via the internet and one of the biggest businesses on the internet.  We have thrown traditional values such as hard work, honesty, and respect for elders out the window.  We celebrate material wealth and material gain.  If you do discipline your kids you are labeled as a bad parent.  We live in a society where anything goes and we are told to be tolerant of everything and everyone but yet these people who preach tolerance regularly attack Christianity.  We live in a society that is turning its back on God.  There may have been a time when you could of said the U.S. was a Christian country but you would be hard pressed to say so today and many who do say they are Christians are only Christians in name only since many couldn’t tell you the last time they have been to church.  But we know from this verse and others that before the end comes many will turn away from God. 

Thu, Jun 28th - 9:50PM

Matthew 24:11

Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many

There has always been false prophets led by Satan trying to deceive the children of God.  There were false prophets in the Old Testament and some of the books in the New Testament mention false teaching about Christianity just a few years after the resurrection of Christ.  Matthew 24:11 is saying one of the signs of the end times is the number of false prophets will increase.  I think we are already seeing the beginning of this.  There are a lot of false doctrines getting taught in Christian circles today.

You have to read the Bible for yourself to know what is true.  The message of the Gospel is that Christ died on the cross for you so that through Him those who repent of their sins and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior will have eternal life.  The Gospel is not about earthly prosperity and it does not turn God into a magical genie that has to answers our prayers because we claim it.  The Gospel is not some self-help feel good tickle your ear message.  The message of the Gospel is sum up in John 3:16

John 3:16For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life

Wed, Jun 27th - 10:03PM

Matthew 24:10

Matthew 24:10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, (NIV)

When you are in a war, in which we are in a spiritual war, you expect to get attacked by the enemy but it is another thing to get attacked by those who are supposedly on your side.  This is often seen as the biggest betrayal of all.  But this is the state of Western Christianity.  We ourselves are often divided instead of taking a united stand against the continued secularization of our society and the continued moral decline of our society.  A society that is trying to push God out of its lives.  It is no secret that many individuals and churches in the Western church have bowed down to the pressures put on them to be politically correct and confirm to the norms of a secular society but it is one thing to bow out of the fight when you don’t have the faith to stand up to the pressure but it is quite another to attack those who do bravely chose to take a stand for God.  But one day we will all stand before the judgment seat of God and they will have to answer why they refused to take a stand for God and actively attacked those who did. 

Tue, Jun 26th - 9:51PM

Matthew 24:9

Matthew 24:9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

Why does the world hate Christians?  First let’s consider some other verses.

John 3:19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. (NIV)

John 8:12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. 15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

So why does the world hate Christians?  Because they hate Christ.  They hate Christ because they love the darkness of sin.  Christ the Light exposes their darkness and sin.  As Christians we reflect the light of Christ into a dark world exposing its sins and its coming judgment.  That is why the world hates Christians. 

Sun, Jun 24th - 10:10PM

Matthew 24:1,2

Matthew 24:1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2“Do you see all these things?” he asked. “I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.” (NIV)

In A.D. 66 the Jews revolted against Rome and in A.D. 70 the Romans sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the city including the Temple and the nation of Israel was erased from history for almost 2000 years until 1948 when the nation of Israel was re-born during an amazing series of events but this also is prophecy.  God had promised to bring back to life the nation of Israel.  Many believe end time prophecy is for the future but some prophecies like the re-birth of the nation of Israel has already begun.  Many of the end time prophecies revolve around the nation of Israel and for these prophecies to come the nation of Israel had to be re-born. 

Amos 9:14-15
I will bring back my exiled people Israel; they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them. They will plant vineyards and drink their wine; they will make gardens and eat their fruit. I will plant Israel in their own land, never again to be uprooted from the land I have given them,” says the Lord your God.

Ezekiel 37:10-14
So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet--a vast army. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: O my people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’”

Isaiah 66:7-8
“Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.”

Ezekiel 37:21-22
and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will take the Israelites out of the nations where they have gone. I will gather them from all around and bring them back into their own land. I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel. There will be one king over all of them and they will never again be two nations or be divided into two kingdoms.

Jeremiah 16:14-15
“However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when men will no longer say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ but they will say, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their forefathers.

Ezekiel 34:13
I will bring them out from the nations and gather them from the countries, and I will bring them into their own land. I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel, in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.

Jeremiah 31:10
“Hear the word of the Lord, O nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’

Deuteronomy 30:3-5
then the Lord your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the Lord your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers.

Sat, Jun 23rd - 11:08PM

Matthew 23:29-39

Matthew 23:29-39

The story of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament is a story of constant rebellion against the will of God.  It is a story that constantly repeated itself.  The nation of Israel would rebel against God, God would send a prophet to warn them to repent or face His judgment, often the prophet was ignored or even persecuted, God would punish the nation, they would repent but slowly they would start to turn away from God and the process would start over again.  Several prophets lost their lives at the hands of their fellow Jews but here the Pharisees are saying if we lived in those times we wouldn’t have done those things but yet it a short time they would have the Son of God put to death and persecute His followers even putting many to death.  But for modern readers the story of the nation of Israel should be a warning to any nation who turns its back on God. 

Fri, Jun 22nd - 12:04PM

Matthew 23:24-28

Matthew 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.25“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.27“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean. 28In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. (NIV)

The Jews had a whole list of things that made them ceremonial unclean so they made a big show of being clean.  They would even strain the water so that wouldn’t accidently swallow a gnat that was considered unclean.  Jesus is saying they go through all of this trouble to appear clean while on the inside their hearts are full of wickedness.  They were like whitewashed tombs beautiful on the outside but full of death on the inside.  On the outside they had an appearance of being very religious but Christ knew their hearts and He knew their hearts were full of sin.

Well we have a lot of the same today.  Sometimes the most sinful person isn’t the person outside of the church it is the one sitting in the pew.  There are people who have been going to church since they were kids but yet have never truly accepted Christ.  They have convinced themselves they are good but yet they are full of hypocrisy and sin.  Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian, accepting Christ as your Savior and following Him as your Lord makes you a Christian. 

Thu, Jun 21st - 10:20AM

Matthew 23:23

Matthew 23:23 What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. (NLT)

The religious leaders of Israel made a very big show of being so pious that they would tithe the smallest items from the gardens but yet lacked justice, mercy, and faith.  It reminds me of what Paul says in 1 Corinthians chapter 13,

1If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (NIV)

God isn’t interested in a legalistic, ritualistic show of worship He wants us.  He wants a real loving relationship with us.  He wants a relationship based on faith in Him as our Lord and Savior and a relationship based on love for the Father and for our fellow man.  Don’t get me wrong I aint saying this allows us to ignore the commandments of God for as the Bible says if we love God we will obey His commandments.  What I am saying is following the commandments, or doing rituals or sacraments isn’t what makes us right before God.  As Paul said we are saved by grace through faith and as Jesus said, those who worship God must do so in Spirit and in Truth. 

Tue, Jun 19th - 11:56AM

Matthew 23:15

Matthew 23:15 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are. (NIV)

The Pharisees didn’t know God, didn’t know the way to God, didn’t recognize God when they came to them and actually were more concerned with wealth and influence then actually serving God so anybody they did convert would be learning from corrupt leaders and would be just as corrupt as they were. 

Well sadly we have the same problem today.  Some of the biggest mega-churches in the U.S. are led by false teachers.  Preachers that are nothing more than ear ticklers.  They preach a message of prosperity and blessings without ever mentioning repentance, sin, judgment, or salvation because these topics don’t bring in the big crowds with their money.  The leader of the biggest church in the U.S. couldn’t give a Biblical definition of what a Christian is when he was interviewed on TV and of course his favorite line is “well I don’t like to talk about those kind of things.”  When we are getting those kind of answers from the leader of the largest church in the U.S. we have problems.

Mon, Jun 18th - 10:24AM

Matthew 23:14

Matthew 23:14 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation

In the male dominated Jewish society widows were often some of the most vulnerable people in the society.  Most employers would only hire men so most widows had no source of income and no one to represent them in legal matters.  Under the Jewish law the brother of the deceased husband was to take care of the widow but many chose not to follow this particular law. 

Here Jesus is exposing their hypocrisy.  They made long prayers to seem pious and very religious and made a big show of following the law but yet they chose to ignore the parts that were inconvenient to them and on top of it took advantage of the people they should have been protecting to cheat them out of their property.  Being a disciple of Christ means you live to fulfill the will of the Father and obey His commandments.  That means all of His commandments not just the ones that are easy to follow.    

Sun, Jun 17th - 10:46PM

Matthew 23:13

Matthew 23:13 Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to. (NIV)

These Jewish religious leaders were more interested in the power and the privileges that came with their position then they were with the responsibility that came with their positions.  As the religious leaders of the Jewish people they were responsible for leading the people to God but if they didn’t know God or even cared about having a relationship with God themselves how can they lead others to God.  The most important thing in this world is having a close relationship with God don’t let others lead you away.  Not everyone who claims to speak for God actually speaks for God there is a lot of false teachers in the world.  Be sure of what your preachers and teachers are teaching.  If what they are teaching doesn’t line up with the Bible you need to go elsewhere.

Sun, Jun 17th - 6:38AM

Matthew 23:11,12

Matthew 23:11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12“Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. (NIV)

We are mere humans in the presence of God Almighty who are we to exalt ourselves.  If it wasn’t for Christ and His sacrifice we would still be sinners and headed to hell but thank God He gave His Son as a sacrifice for our sins that through Him and Him only we can have eternal life. 

Fri, Jun 15th - 11:58AM

Matthew 23:8-10

Matthew 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

Many look at these verses and say we aint suppose to have any positions in the church but this isn’t what Christ is saying.  First when you continue to read the New Testament we know Paul lays out different positions in the church such as preachers, teachers, deacons, and evangelists, and we know the church in Jerusalem had its own leaders such as James was the head of the church in Jerusalem.  Like any verses these verses have to be read in the context of the verses before them in after them.  Chapter 23 of Matthew is Christ’s discourse against the hypocrisy of the Pharisees.  In the verses before these Christ exposes how the religion of the Pharisees was all a show.  They were more interested in the privileges and the praise that came with their position more than they did in serving God.  In verses 8-10 Christ is saying don’t be like the Pharisees who sought after titles.  They sought after titles to exalt themselves over others but Christ taught His disciples to be humble as He says those who want to lead must learn to be a servant of others.  Christ is our Master and God is our Father.  So no man should be called our Father or our Master.  We know the Catholic Church does use the title Father in direct violation of these verses. 

Thu, Jun 14th - 10:17AM

Matthew 23:5-7

Matthew 23:5 But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

The religion of the Pharisees was all for show.  They loved going out in public and appearing pious when in fact they didn’t know God in their hearts.  All of their religious devotion was just a show.  They were more interested in the praise of men then in pleasing God.  You might fool your fellow man but you can’t fool God.  He knows our hearts.  He knows if we are truly devoted to Him or if it is just a show to please those around us with our show of empty devotion. 

Wed, Jun 13th - 11:07AM

Matthew 23:1-4

Matthew 23:1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, 2saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4“They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. (NASB)

The religion of the Pharisees was all for show.  They made a big show of being very religious and very pious but it was all a show because in reality their hearts were far from God.  Their hearts were so far from God that when God appeared to them in the flesh they failed to recognize Him and had Him put to death.  God aint interested in a show religion of rituals and traditions and sacraments He wants a personal relationship with you as your Lord and Savior.   

Tue, Jun 12th - 12:06AM

Matthew 22:34-40

Matthew 22: 34 But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together. 35Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38This is the first and great commandment. 39And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

I use to think when I read these verses and think what about all the other commandments, such as don’t kill or don’t steal but then God opened my eyes.  If you truly love God you would want to please Him by obeying His will.  If you regularly disobey Him then you don’t truly love Him and if you truly loved your neighbor you wouldn’t want to do him any harm by stealing from him or lying to him or lusting after his property or his wife.  If you truly loved all women then you would respect them and see them as God does instead of seeing them as objects of your sexual desires.  But the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our being because the most important thing in this world is our relationship with God.  It truly is a matter of life or death.  Our relationship with God is above all things.  Reading the Bible and worship and church attendance is all important but if we don’t have a close relationship with God then it is all meaningless.  Look at the Pharisees, they knew the scriptures but yet didn’t know God.    

Sun, Jun 10th - 9:10AM

Matthew 22:23-33

Matthew 22:23-33

The Sadducees were the religious liberals of Jesus’ day.  They didn’t believe in the resurrection of the dead, they didn’t believe in the supernatural including demons and angels and they only read the books of Moses and rejected the rest of the Bible as God’s word.  That is why I say they were the religious liberals of Jesus’ day because you see a lot of the same attitude from Christian liberals today.

Christian liberals often reject the supernatural including for many the rejection of the idea of hell or the coming judgment of God.  Just like the Sadducees many reject the idea of Satan and demons and many also reject the Bible as the divine Word of God.  As verse 29 says they error because they don’t know the Word of God or the power of God but how can they know the scriptures when they reject the Bible as the Word of God and they lack the faith to understand the power of God.  We serve an almighty God that is beyond our mere human understanding.  Many look at this world through human eyes and through human understanding and fail to grasp the spiritual nature of things.  You will never come to an understanding of God outside the guidance of the Holy Spirit that is why the world fails to grasp the things of God because they lack the guidance of the Holy Spirit which is only available to the children of God.    

Fri, Jun 8th - 11:52AM

Matthew 22:1-14

Matthew 22:1-14

Christ came first to the Jews but the Jews for the most part rejected Christ and His offer of salvation so the Gospel was taken to the Gentiles were it was widely received.  In this parable God is the king who sent his servants (the prophets and the disciples) to invite the guests (the Jews) to the wedding but they refused the invitation so the king sent His servants to invite others (the Gentiles) to the wedding.  Those who show up without the wedding garments (salvation) will be throw into darkness (hell).

The good news of salvation through Christ was first offered to the Jews but they rejected the Gospel so the Gospel was preached to the Gentiles but those who refuse salvation will be sent to hell.   

Thu, Jun 7th - 10:31AM

Matthew 21:33-46

Matthew 21:33-46

The parable of the tenants in Matthew 21 is directed directly at the Jewish nation.  The Jews were God’s chosen people but time after time they rebelled against Him.  The Old Testament is one long story of the nation of Israel’s rebellion against God.  It is a story that repeated itself again and again.  They would rebel and God would send a prophet to warn of His coming judgment often they would ignore the warning and kill the prophet so God would punish them so they would repent but soon they would slowly start to turn from God again until finally God sent His Son to them.

Jesus was born a Jew and preached to the Jewish nation but just as they had done the prophets they ignored Him and eventually killed Him.  The Disciples of Jesus were Jews and at first they preached to the Jews some accepted the Gospel but most rejected it and persecuted the disciples so God directed them to take the message of salvation to the Gentiles were it was received by many.  The stone (Christ, verse 42) that they rejected became the cornerstone of a new church built mostly by the Gentiles and in AD 70 the nation of Israel was destroyed and disappeared until 1948 (which is prophecy by the way). 

The story of Israel shows several things about the nature of God.  Even though the nation of Israel rebelled against Him several times He kept reaching out to them but at the same time their evil did not go unpunished but yet whenever they sought forgiveness He forgave them.  God will forgive those who seek forgiveness and repent of their sins and accept Christ as their Lord and Savior and while God is patient and wishes all would come to Him in the end God will punish those who reject Him and disobey His will for mankind. 

Wed, Jun 6th - 11:46AM

Matthew 21:28-32

Matthew 21:28 What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

29“‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

30“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

31“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered.

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you.

 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him. (NIV)

The tax collectors and prostitutes knew they were sinners they didn’t need convincing.  It was the religious leaders that refused to admit they needed to repent and seek God’s forgiveness.  In their eyes they were righteous and didn’t need forgiveness when in reality their righteousness was all a show when in reality their heart was far from God.  God knows the heart of man, you can’t fool him.  You might be able to fool others with a show of righteousness but God knows our hearts.

Mon, Jun 4th - 10:02AM

Matthew 21:18-22

Matthew 21:18 Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. 20When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. 21Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”  (NIV)

Verse 22 is often a misunderstood verse or more often a misused verse.  Yes God hears the prayers of His children and yes He answers the prayers of His children even it isn’t always in a manner we expect.  God knows what is best for us.  You who are parents know this, we love our children but just because we love them we don’t always give them what they ask for.  Sometimes the things they ask for isn’t good for them, sometimes we have a better idea, and sometimes we have other things in store for them.  It is the same with God.  He hears our prayers but sometimes God has other plans for us.  Think of Paul no one can deny the faith of Paul but yet Paul prayed that God take his thorn in the flesh, as he called it, away but God said no.  God used this for His purposes.  Remember the Lord’s prayer, Jesus prayed thou will be done.  The key to have prayer answered is praying according to the will of God and we learn the will of God by spending time with Him in prayer, in worship, and in studying His word the Bible. 

Now back to why I said this is a misused verse many in the name it and claim camp will tell you if you claim anything in the name of God He will give it to you if you have faith.  Well first off God isn’t some magical genie that has to answer our request, second who are we to demand anything of God and third look at James 4:3.  If we ask with wrong motives God isn’t going to answer my prayers.  I need money to pay my bills and buy food that is a need but if I ask God for a billion dollars because I want to be rich that is greed and God isn’t going to answer that prayer because I ask with wrong motives.

James4:3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

Sun, Jun 3rd - 1:41AM

Matthew 21:12,13

Matthew 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

The Jews had turned the Temple of God into a marketplace instead of the place to worship God it was meant to be.

Some of our churches in the U.S. aint much better.  The church is meant to be several things, a place of worship, a place to fellowship with other believers, a place to teach disciples, a base to conduct evangelism in the local community, a base to conduct good deeds for your local community just to name a few.  But some many of our churches have become nothing more than entertainment centers.  A place where people come to get their ears tickled a little bit, those familiar with the Bible will understand that phrase.

 For example I was invited to this church once, well they didn’t even call themselves a church, but anyway back to the point, this place had a bookstore, a coffee shop, an arcade and instead of a sanctuary they had an auditorium and instead of a sermon they had lectures and dramas and the preacher well he wasn’t a preacher he was a speaker was dressed in a very casual manner.  It was basically a show.  I mean that was basically what it was instead of a church service we had a show.  Some many churches have resorted to gimmicks like this because they feel this is what gets people to church well the downside is that they are leaving people spiritually hunger for the Word of God.  Many leaders feel the new generation finds old fashioned church services as boring so they try gimmicks like this but they don’t realize while they are getting people to the church they are not getting anything out of it.

We need to get back to the basics.  The church is the house of God where believers come to worship God and the pastor spiritually feeds his flock with the Word of God anything else is going leave them spiritually hungry.