Roger

Drama.   Why would anyone choose to create or live in drama?   Daily life brings enough drama without having to look for it. For example, both men and women follow television soap operas, where drama is king.   Many are able to recite play by play accounts of misery, gossip, lust, exaggeration, lying and tomfoolery, all which should come under the subheading, “As the Stomach Turns.”   Do they not have enough drama without rehearsing its damaging effects in the lives of paid actors? In 1 Thessalonians 4:11, Paul tells his beloved church at Thessalonica to “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.”   What was he suggesting?   Paul knew that believers may not be able to shut themselves off from the world, but they certainly don’t have to add to the noise! This verse is sandwiched between two admonitions that make sense.   In verse 4 the Apostle encourages believers to love one another.   In verses 11-12 he very pointedly tells them, “...

Believe me.  I know there’s a lot wrong with the local church.  I get it.  I view it firsthand; but I still say, “The church at its worst is still better than the world at it best!” I fell in love with the local church concept during my boyhood and it’s the local church that clearly and totally directed my life.   I can’t imagine NOT being part of a local church family.   First, understand that I’m not talking about a building.   I’m referring to any group of people who meet to honor and worship Jesus Christ on Sundays or whenever.   I meet folks who have elected not to attend a local church, and who have found “chapter and verse” to disprove the manner in which American churches operate.   Guess what? Some of what they say is absolutely correct!   However, until someone comes up with a better Christ-honoring method or a better way to run the local church, I’M NOT JUMPING SHIP! Let me say it again – the local church is people, not ...

The very idea of a literal place called hell has always puzzled people, but the Bible makes it clear that hell is a real place.  Equally true is the fact that God never intended for people to go to hell.  Hell was created for the devil and the fallen angels. The Bible makes it clear that it is not God's will that any perish.  So, why will people end up in hell?  Simply put, hell will be occupied by people who totally resisted the Holy Spirit and rejected Jesus Christ. Perhaps we need to clear up any misinformation about hell to fully understand its reason for being.  To do this I'm going to introduce five words or phrases found in the Bible that many either misunderstand or use interchangeably, but not without problems!  These words or phrases include:  Hades, Sheol, Hell, Gehenna, and the Lake of Fire .  Any discussion on hell needs to define these words.  Let's begin. Hell --A term that designates the place of future punishment ...