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Showing posts from February 22, 2011

How God's Word Will Make You Free

       How God's Word Will Make You Free John 8:31-32 NRSV 31 Then Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; 32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free." Notice carefully what Jesus actually said. It is not those who "start in the word" or "try the word for awhile" who will be made free. You must continue in Jesus' message -- His Word. It must be His accurate message -- not just someone's idea of it, or tradition. Some translations use the word "abide" instead of "continue." Abide means to stay somewhere continually. Either way, the meaning involves staying with it. Note that Jesus said in verse 32, "and you will KNOW the truth . . ." Just hearing the truth does not necessarily make you free. You must KNOW that it is the truth. When you KNOW something, you will act on it. If you are not acting on something, yo

You Are A Citizen of Heaven

            You Are A Citizen of Heaven PHILIPPIANS 3:20 NRSV 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. As a believer in Jesus Christ, you have a new citizenship. Your name is written in Heaven. Heaven is your homeland. Because you are its citizen, Heaven is responsible for you. If necessary, Heaven will send its soldiers (angels) to assist you, and when necessary, to evacuate you. Although we live on earth, we operate under the laws of our homeland, Heaven, as well as the laws of earth. As a citizen you have certain rights and obligations. To understand them you need to read the Bible with the help of illumination by the Holy Spirit. You need to ask the Lord to teach you and give you understanding of these things. COLOSSIANS 1:13 NRSV 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, As believers, we are no longer under the authority or