FourFifteen

An Exiled Senior Citizen 2 John 1 NLT - " This letter is from John,  the elder. " 3 John 1 NLT - " This letter is from John,  the elder. " In 95 AD, the twelve original apostles had been reduced to one remaining man - the Apostle John. Now 90 years old, John had outlived nearly everyone who had seen Jesus' earthly ministry. He had seen one brother after another martyred - James, Peter, Matthew, Thomas - each of them laying down their life for the faith. And now John was left alone as  the  elder, the preeminent voice in the church.  After leaving Jerusalem, John set up his ministry headquarters in Ephesus, a major port city, from which he oversaw many other churches in the region...six of which were also located in other major cities:  - Smyrna  - Pergamum  - Thyatira  - Sardis  - Philadelphia  - Laodicea With Ephesus being a major hub and crossroads in the region of Asia Minor, John's oversight could easily reach each of these citi...

2 Chronicles 7:15 - " Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. " In Heart, Not Just In Attendance For the last six posts, I've been hammering the need to go to  the local church. We've covered the command not to "forsake the assembly." We've seen that the place where we gather together is biblically  called " the house of God ." We've seen that we should not take God's invitation to church lightly; and also that He doesn't accept any excuse for neglecting His house.  But when I teach about this, I'm sometimes accused of equating church attendance with salvation. Let me be clear: Going to church doesn't make you a Christian. This is an obvious  point - one that no one would argue with. Even the most dead, dried-up, religious churches would at least claim  that you need a heart to serve God - even if they don't practice it. No one I know of is claiming that church-attendance saves you....

In my previous office, I have to admit I was fascinated by the all of the excuses people gave for not showing up to work.   - "My cousin was sick, and I was at a BBQ with him on Saturday - better to be safe and stay home today."  - "My power went out, and the power company plans to start it back up sometime today. I should probably be home for that."  - "I haven't gotten enough sleep and I need to rest."  - "I got too much sleep and didn't wake up in time."  - "My boyfriend and I had an argument, and I need to spend some time with him." Sometimes the excuses may have been legitimate, such as a car not starting or a sick child. Other times the excuse would only seem good, and would fall apart if you thought it through. Because of the attendance policy, even good  reasons for not showing up could still technically be considered "unexcused". Only written notices from authorized sources (doctors, police, court officials) w...

 " I don't need a church; they're all fakes and hypocrites anyway! I can serve God all by myself! " As we've seen , Satan will do anything  he can to get Christians away from their churches. He knows the church can expose his lies and stop him from destroying a Christian's life. Because he knows this fact better than most Christians do, he will stop at nothing to get them out of the local congregation. One of his favorites methods is this one-two punch combo: 1 - Introduce some kind of hurt or offense between believers in the same congregation. 2 - Follow that up with the false doctrine that church attendance isn't really that important to a believer. If going to church isn't something that's necessary to be a Christian, then why put yourself through the hassle of being around other believers? So let me ask you a question: Can you serve God by yourself? Biblical Reasons NOT To Attend Church Hebrews 10:25 - " And let us not neglect our meeting ...

  1 Timothy 3:15 “...but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God , which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” The House Of The God Of Truth God is the God of truth. He loves the truth and He hates  lies. He's opposed to anything that would pervert or distort the truth. Deuteronomy 32:4 calls Him " a God of truth ".  Psalm 31:5 takes it even further and names Him El Emmett - which means the “ THE God of truth." If you're ever wondering what side God takes on an issue, know this: God always sides with what is true! This is why Jesus says in John 14:6, " I am the way, the truth, and the life. " This is also why God's Word is THE truth, because He cannot lie. We see that in Psalm 119:60 ("... the entirety of Your Word is truth ") and in John 17:17 ( "Your Word is truth. ") To the extent that something agrees with God's Word, it is tru...

As we've already seen, the Bible calls the local church - the place on earth that we go to and attend - the "house of God."  Let's read it again in 1 Timothy 3:15 - " ...but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. " How Awesome Is This Place! Look through Scriptures, and you'll find that God has always  had a place to come and meet with His people. You will also find that the Lord sets those places apart ("sanctifies" them), with both His presence  and His Name. Originally, that place was the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:8 says, " The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. " Take note: God did not create man in the Garden; He created the man and then  put  him in the Garden. Why was Adam put there? Because according to Genesis 3:8, that place was where t...

 Jesus Loves His Church Matthew 16:18 - "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. " Jesus loves His church. This new nation of born-again, Spirit-filled, Bible-believing Christians was HIS idea from the very beginning. We are the " ekklisia" - the called out ones. Together, we've been called out  from the world, and into  His body. We've been chosen to continue His work and finish His calling in the earth. Jesus paid a high price for His church. We see this clearly in Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders. Acts 20:28 - " Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood... " Yes...Jesus shed His blood for you. Yes...He shed His blood for me . But highest of all: He shed His blood for us  - His church! What About The "Chur...

 "I Don't Need To Go To Church" Has this happened to you? After meeting someone new, you find out that they're also a believer in Jesus. As a strong, growing Christian yourself...what is usually your next question? " So where do you go to church? " Why would this naturally be your next question? Because as a student of God's Word, you know that this is what Christians do! We gather together in a church; we just know to go to the house of God. We know we need to hear the Word preached, to get around other like-minded believers, and to grow up in the faith. But have you ever heard this answer to that question? " Nah, I don't need to GO to church...I AM the church. I'm serving God OK all by myself!"  Immediately, you know something is wrong with that statement. You instinctively have a check inside of you, something that says, " Whoa...that's not right. That is not something a healthy Christian would say. "  I believe this a...