The Trumpet Will Sound

What does it mean to be “set free” when we still live in a world of constant lies and deceptions? It’s like the slave who had received the gospel message and now his whole mind was set free to love God, commune with God, and he would even sing unto Him as he worked… but he was still a slave. We are free from the power of sin, guilt and shame and we no longer dread the eternal consequences of our sin… we are eternally free! But we are surrounded by the evils of sin and its

We live in a precarious time. People, colleges, online group chats… they all say they are seeking truth, but get hostile when truth is delivered. Strong retorts are made… “That’s YOUR truth, not MY truth,” as though there is no absolute truth. Or worse yet, they claim the holy high ground and claim you are unloving, unkind, and unrighteous to hold to such truth. The great deceiver is busy leading many away from God. Nothing has changed from biblical times. Jesus spoke trut

“Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the Light: who has rescued us from the authority of darkness and has transferred us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love: in whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:12-14). Redemption never leaves a person where they were. Can you imagine Israel remaining in Egypt as impoverished slaves while claiming to be redeemed by the

“The Kingdom of God is like a man who casts seed into the ground; and he sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed springs and grows up, but he does not know how. For the earth brings forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full grain in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come” (Mark 4:26-29) While you and I sleep and rise, in the cycle of daily life, the growth of the Kin

The Law of God: “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep go astray and hide yourself from them: you shall in any case bring them back again…” (Deuteronomy 22:1-3). Our Need: “We all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone of us, to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Himself (in Christ) the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6). Jesus: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10) … “I did not hide My face from shame an

After the disciples of the Lord were beaten by the religious rulers for speaking in Jesus’ name, “They departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). These men who turned the world upside down with their eye-witness testimonies of Christ, had eyes and hearts so filled with His greatness, that suffering for Him was an honor. The Bible calls them heroes of the faith, “of whom the world was not worthy

When circumstances overwhelm our hearts it’s so easy to focus on the pain, frustration, and never-ending trials, and forget that we are victorious in Christ. Did you know that expecting the “next bad thing” is addicting? Psychologists have even coined a term for this consuming hunt for the next bad news story, called… doom scrolling. Jesus showed us that we can be both informed on the evil that is to come, and victorious and peaceful at the same time. This is contrary t

“A third time Jesus asked him, ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him a third time if he loved Him. He said, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’ Jesus said, ‘Feed My sheep’” (John 21:17). Why did Jesus ask three times? It wasn’t because He didn’t know, but that He wanted Peter to realize that where there is a deep love for God, there will be service unto Him. Notice that Jesus didn’t ask, “Do you love the people,” o

This title was given to Gideon, a man who struggled with confidence and insecurity. He was unsure if he heard God correctly, so he put out the fleece and God answered him, but it wasn’t enough…so he put the fleece out again. And God answered him again. How is it that God chooses to use people that are full of doubt and fear? When the angel of the Lord found Gideon, he was hiding in the wine press threshing wheat. He and his fellow countrymen chose to retreat and live in ca

The Biblical Jesus (recorded by eyewitnesses) – the one and only eternal Son of God, who claimed equality with God as His own Father. He was born of a virgin, performed miracles, died publicly on a Roman cross, was buried publicly, rose again three days later, to be seen by over 500 at the same time. Ascended back to Heaven 40 days after His resurrection with the promise to return and judge the world in truth. Salvation is by faith in Him alone. Islam’s Jesus (Quran written

As Jesus bid farewell to His disciples that final Passover night, He said, “After this I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world is coming, and has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go from here” (John 14:30,31). Jesus left that night to pick up His Cross to die for sinners. He did it “that the world may know I love the Father.” What was the Father’s will?

“I am The Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me” (Exodus 20:3). God spoke these words to the children of Israel AFTER they had seen His power over Pharaoh, and AFTER witnessing His ten judgments on all the false gods of Egypt. God was not making an unreasonable request of blind faith. AFTER 40 years of seeing God’s miraculous provisions and power in the wilderness, Moses said to the next

When God rescued Israel from slavery and brought them 50 days journey to Mt. Sinai, they did not see Him, or any likeness of Him… “You saw no manner of likeness on the day the Lord spoke to you in Horeb (Mt. Sinai) out of the midst of the fire, so do not corrupt yourselves and make a graven image…” (Deuteronomy 4:15,16). But from the beginning of time, God promised that one day people would see Him and know Him. He would “put on flesh” and walk among us. Fifteen hundred y

Just as the mob was plotting the crucifixion of Jesus, they were offered an alternative… “As the crowd gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” For he knew very well that it was out of envy that the religious leaders had arrested Him… meanwhile, the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and to have Jesus be put to death”

The Apostle Paul was writing to the people of Philippi, sharing his heart and all that he had endured in serving the Lord. We know he had been shipwrecked three times, beaten, imprisoned for preaching the gospel, bitten by a poisonous snake (yet miraculously spared), and forsaken by a fellow worker who “loved this present world (more than the things of God).” His losses were great! But in his own words he states, “I consider it all as nothing (garbage) compared to the surpass

During WW1, a Christian soldier cried to the Lord in his private prayer time early one morning. “Lord, I will likely die soon, and I have no fellow Believers to share with. I feel so alone. Please, Lord, hear my prayer.” Just two days later, out in a field full of fox holes, their army advanced, but night was closing in fast. As the soldier settled into his foxhole for the night the words of an old hymn filled his heart. He started singing it softly, and the words comforted

While Paul was headed for Rome as a prisoner, their ship entered a terrible storm… “Not long after there arose against it a tempestuous wind, called Euroclydon (Northeaster). And when the ship was caught, and could not bear up into the wind, we let her drive. And running under a certain island which is called Clauda, we had much work to stabilize the boat: which after hoisting it up, they used HELPS, undergirding the ship... for we were violently storm-tossed…” – (Acts 27:14-

A British explorer to Africa hired a native guide to take him to a remote village deep inside the jungle. After days of trekking, the explorer felt uneasy as the way became increasingly dense and difficult. Finally, the trail disappeared altogether, darkness was setting in, and the explorer could contain his doubts no longer. He said to the guide, “We’ve lost our way.” The guide responded, “No. I am the way.” Those were Jesus’ exact words to His disciples before He went to

When David fled from king Saul, he ran to a cave. Alone in that cave, he poured out his heart to the Lord… “Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me: for my soul is trusting in Thee! Yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. I will cry unto God Most High, unto God that performs (brings to a perfect end) all things for me. He shall send from Heaven and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah” (Psalm

“O give thanks to the LORD; for He is good: because His mercy endures for ever. Let Israel now say, that His mercy endures for ever. Let the house of Aaron now say, that His mercy endures for ever. Let those now who fear the LORD say, that His mercy endures for ever” (Psalm 118:1-4). On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, Psalm 118 is both historic and prophetic… It is the triumphing of Israel because of Christ’s intervention… “All nations compassed me about like bees; they are