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Showing posts from June, 2020

Take Your Rest: The Fourth Commandment Part 01

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it — Exodus 20:8-11 It has to be seen to be believed. Go to any major city in Israel: it is busy, bustling, traffic jams, full of noise and activity. Tel Aviv is where the party never stops, almost Then comes Friday sundown and when the horn sounds, everything comes to a grinding halt. Businesses close, cars come off the roads and get parked for a day, while a holy hush comes upon the streets. Congratulations. You have just experienced the beginning of the Sabbath. During the evening a specia...

Beyond Covid-19: Is There A Word from the Lord? Pt 02

"YES" Without question, the Covid-19 pandemic, lockdown, and shutdown of the global economy, is the most significant event since World War II. This is followed by the international protests and riots in the aftermath of the death on the street while in police custody of George Floyd. Who could have a imagined, even six months ago, that life as we know it would change radically? Indeed, it did and we still are not sure where it will all end. In Part 01, we learned that, ‘Yes,’ there is a word from the Lord. In fact, there are several key words and phrases. The Introductory Key Phrase: ‘ God is always speaking. ’ In these last days He speaks through His Son (Hebrews 1:1-2). After this, The First Key Phrase is: Prophetic Times . We believe that our days were spoken by the ancient Hebrew prophets millennia ago. There are numerous passages regarding this but a favoured place to start is Matthew 24:4-5: And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man dec...

e Prophet to Nineveh: Why Study the Book of Nahum Part 01

INTRODUCTION TO NAHUM The Book of Nahum belongs to three minor prophets in the Bible that are directed primarily to a foreign entities: Jonah to Nineveh and Obadiah to Edom are the others. Nahum prophesied to the city of Nineveh, capital of the Assyrian Empire, but he came much later than Jonah. Using dramatic speech, Nahum graphically tells about the fall of the city that once terrified the ancient world, including Jerusalem and Judah. Jonah came to Nineveh 150 years earlier and his ministry was stunningly successful. Despite his reluctance to go, Jonah’s preaching spawned mass repentance; this is impressive for a heathen nation. Would to God we had these kind of results today! After Jonah’s day, Assyria grew to be a great empire. In the time of King Ahab, the Assyrians tried to conquer the 10 tribes of Israel but failed. Then during the reign of Ashurbanipal III, the little tribe of Benjamin was taken. Finally, in the year 722 BC, under Shalmaneser, the other 9 tri...

Issues Facing the Church: Road to Mental Health & Well-Being Part 01

Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God. — Psalm 42:11 One of the great challenges of our time is not external issues — the economy, geo-political challenges, or pandemics. It has to do with mental health. Whether one is young or old, male or female, Christian or non-Christian, mental health is one of the issues, even crises, of our day and it’s not going away soon. Today’s church needs to begin a conversation on this vital issue. This author claims no expertise whatsoever on this important subject, but after years of Bible teaching and pastoral ministry experience has some thoughts to offer. Mental health includes a fully operative cognitive skills, sense of understanding one’s gifting and limitations, an ability to cope with stress, living a productive and fruitful life that contributes to society. The opposite of mental health is ment...

AMERICA ABLAZE: Making Sense of the Senseless

It all started as a simple tragedy. George Floyd, age 46, a 6’ 7” African-American was arrested in Minneapolis for allegedly trying to buy cigarettes with counterfeit money. Mr. Floyd was handcuffed and pinned to the ground for 30 minutes. ‘I can’t breath’ said the gentle giant’ as the officer continued to place pressure on his body. He lost consciousness, was taken to hospital, and pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The four Minneapolis police officers involved in the incident were immediately fired. However, Devin CHAUVIN, age 44, a white former police officer, was charged with 3rd degree murder and manslaughter. For many in the African-American community, this arrest was not enough. Why did it take days to arrest the former police officer? Why only a 3rd degree murder charge, not 1st degree? Why weren’t the other officers charged with murder, at least as accessories to the crime? The perception that a black man under white police is in greater peril than a white, continues...