Showing posts with label Hebrews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hebrews. Show all posts

Friday, August 26, 2022

Running The Race To Finish Well (part 1)



by Jose Barajas

Being raised in a Catholic home meant that I was baptized as a child, and would take classes that prepared me for my first communion. Two things that have always struck me as being odd about the ceremonies I went through are A, baptizing a child goes against what scripture teaches us and B, my first communion was performed by a Spanish speaking priest. As a Hispanic family you would think nothing about it, except that I was raised to speak English not Spanish. So as you can guess I was clueless of what the Spanish priest was saying.  For all I know, I confessed to committing adultery and murder. 

All this to say, I don’t believe my sins were ever absolved or forgiven, because my heart was not really into it. Truth is, I know for a fact I was not changed. It never ceases to amaze me how many have, and still do, fall into the same trap of man’s traditions when it comes to confessing their sins. Yet they are never truly believed nor repented of their sins. I, of course, speak from experience and not just from the time I was a Catholic.

Saturday, July 31, 2021

A Harlot's Faith That Moved A Mountain



by Chuck Ness

There are four women mentioned in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Christ, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. The second one, Rahab, was the harlot of Jericho who protected the men sent out by Joshua to spy on the city. Besides being a direct ancestor of Christ, Rahab is also one of only two women mentioned in Hebrews for their triumph of faith. The other being Abraham's wife Sarah.

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a
child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

(Hebrew 11:11)

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot
Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.

(Hebrew 11:30-31)

Then we read in James,

Saturday, March 13, 2021

Get On The Man Scale & Be A Man (Video)


Ken Graves, the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Bangor ME, offers up his opinion of the, "Man Scale". Ken's scale has men like Mr Rogers on one end, and men like to Mr T on the other end. His advice to all men is to get on the man scale and be a man. So, are you some place between Mr Rogers and Mr T? If not, then you better look to God through Christ to find out where you are lacking, because God wants all men to be men.

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Hebrews 12:1

Saturday, November 14, 2020

My Thoughts on the Epistle to the Hebrews

By Chuck Ness

I can truly say that my understanding of the salvation I received from Christ has been made abundantly clearer thanks to this letter. I would love to thank the author for the growth I gained in studying this letter. However the identity of the author is unknown, but there is no lack of ideas as to who wrote it. The list goes on and on as to who the author was. The opinions run the gamut from Barnabas, Paul, and Apollos (whom I personally go back and forth in awarding my vote to) some scholars even suggest that either Priscilla or Mary the mother of Jesus was the author. I have my reasons why I do not think the author was a woman, however even if we knew who wrote this, a most excellent of epistles, it would not add, nor take from, one iota of importance to its contents.

That being said, I shall not get into the many minutia of who the author is, except to say the letter is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit and that is really all that matters.