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Israel’s journey from the bondage of Egypt to the foot of Mount Sinai is a journey from their service to the cruel taskmasters of Egypt... to a covenant of service and loyalty to the living God. It is a parallel to the spiritual journey taken by every man and woman redeemed from the bondage of sin through Christ to serve the living God.God set Israel free from bondage through the events of Passover and the festival of unleavened bread. He led them out and guided them to the foot of a mighty mountain where He introduced to them the way to real freedom. The freedom that comes from knowing the truth of God beginning with His righteous commandments. The truth of God sets you free from bondage to habits and ways of thinking that have no future beyond the grave... and therefore end in death.Pentecost reminds you that both the word of God and the spirit of God are needed to attain life everlasting! Today we are gong to zero in on the delivery of truth.Tradition teaches that Israel's journey from Egypt to Sinai took about 50 days. Placing them at the foot of that mountain to hear the commandments spoken on the day of Pentecost. You have probably heard something like that over the years. Based on the biblical data even skeptics cannot deny that the giving of the commandments at Sinai took place at least sometime very near the day of Pentecost. The bible does not explicitly say that the commandments were spoken to Israel by God on the very day of Pentecost. However, as we walk through Israel's journey from Egypt to Sinai I am going to point out to you the biblical statements we have about the timeline. I believe these are road markers that lead us to Pentecost.The chart referenced in this message can be accessed here: https://www.ucg.org/system/storage/serve/1289511/egypt_to_sinai_chart.pdfKeep Reading »

Today we are going to take a look at third annual holy day in the old testament. Among Israel this festival was known as the feast of weeks. It was a time to offer the first fruits of the wheat harvest to God. But praise and thanks for abundant crops is only the beginning of the meaning of the feast of weeks.Offering the first fruits of the harvest  to Him is also a prophecy and foreshadow of how God will claim  first fruits from all of humanity through calling and drawing people of all nations, ancestry, and cultures into His Church.Get more information about the biblical festivals request a copy of our free bible study guide - God's Holy Day PlanKeep Reading »

The prophetic book of Habakkuk is a book of questions and answers. The time setting is around 605 B.C. The kingdom of the chosen people has rebelled and turned away from God. Out of Israel only Judah is left... and they will soon be destroyed and taken as captives by Babylon.Habakkuk asks his questions, maybe you have asked the same questions… God replies with some unexpected answers… Throughout this book we are presented with one of the most important spiritual lessons of the bible… THE JUST WILL LIVE BY FAITH.Request our free bible study book - You Can Have Living Faith Keep Reading »

What Are You Afraid Of?The past year [2020] was a year of trial and testing for society at large and for the Church of God. It was a year dominated by fear, fear of sickness, fear of the political power of others, fear of the flesh, fear of man. There have been stumbles, but even failures can be used for good if we use them as an opportunity to reflect, meditate, and soberly consider our thoughts and actions. Today we will discuss  fear. I want to focus on fear of God, however, I first want to briefly touch on human fear, or fear of the flesh.https://ucgraleigh.blogspot.com/2021/04/fear-of-god-is-beginning-of-wisdom.htmlKeep Reading »

When Does the Sabbath Day Start and End?When I first began observing the 7th day Sabbath I assumed the day began after midnight on Friday and went through to midnight that Saturday. However, when I came into contact with the Church of God they showed me from the bible that God’s way of reckoning time was different. If you would like to learn more about the biblical 7th day Sabbath and its importance for you get our free bible study guide on the subject here: https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/sunset-to-sunset-gods-sabbath-restKeep Reading »

Some biblical prophecy concerned the first coming of Christ and some of it looks ahead to the time His return in great power and glory. We read of kingdoms rising and falling, troubles of persecution, war, disease. All these were present from the time the prophecy was given through the intervening 2,000 years of human history, yet seem to insistent as the final days approach. Deception and false prophets are another area prophecy addresses... deception has been present since the days of the apostles, it is present today... and deception is predicted to intensify as the time of the end approaches. Matthew 24:22-25Have you ever wondered or worried about being deceived in the time of the end? If some prophet is at large doing amazing miracles how could you not be swayed... their instruction and teaching would appear to have the power of the spirit realm backing it up. How will you be able to tell what is "of God" and what is "of the evil one"?Revelation 13:11-14 the false prophet makes your task of discernment even harder because he/she makes them self look like a teacher of Christ while teaching a message that is actually against Christ (so you have to look past any miracle or sign and pay attention to what they actually say). The false prophet will appear to be on the side of all that is right and good... and they will have power to perform amazing signs and wonders. Today I would like to explain the biblical guidelines for determining the validity of prophets and prophecies and determine if they are "of God" or "not of God".Request your free copy of --- Who Is The Anti-Christ? https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/who-is-the-antichrist-0 Read this message on our blog ➤ https://ucgraleigh.blogspot.com/2021/01/deception-and-false-prophet-of.htmlKeep Reading »

Vows and CommitmentEach new year that comes makes us all think about what the year ahead will be like. Many people decide to start off the new year with some plans... very often called "new year's resolutions"... usually focused on some form of self improvement. New year's resolutions are a running joke in our culture... because they are most often abandoned sometime within the next few months. Modern culture has a low expectation of commitment [we don’t expect much of our self and we don’t expect much of others]... this affects marriage and families, business and employment, politics, international relations etc.People might have logical or emotional reasons for avoiding commitment... but having a good reason for avoiding commitment does not protect us from the harm that a non-committal approach will inevitably bring... both personally or socially.Commitment and follow through are an essential ingredient of a functional healthy society, and for our purposes in this message commitment is necessary for a person who is growing in grace, knowledge and putting on the mind of the God family.Today I will approach the subject of commitment by looking at what the bible says about vows. Then I'll follow up with a brief section on setting some spiritual goals based on the gifts of the spirit. blog URL for syndicates https://ucgraleigh.blogspot.com/2021/01/pay-your-vows-to-god.htmlKeep Reading »

The Riddle of the BeastThe book of Revelation is Jesus Christ's final written words to His church. These words foretell future events as they relate to the Church of God. The book is both a revealing and a riddle.A riddle is a word puzzle in which the answer is understandable based upon what is said, yet not understood by anyone but the riddler. Here's a classic riddle you may have heard; "what is black and white and read/red all over?" The person hearing the riddle is misdirected by the clever word play based on the word red/read. The meaning is concealed but yet fully spoken.Most people don't get good riddles until they are given the answer. Then when the answer is revealed it all seems quite obvious. Keep Reading »

Mercy is part of the emotional makeup of the living God... when God wants to tell us about himself to us and reveal some of the inner workings of His being... MERCY tops the list.But what is mercy? When referring to God's mercy are we merely using another means of saying God's grace? Does God's mercy serve the same function as His forgiveness? IF different … how are they different?I believe God's mercy is intimately related to His grace and His forgiveness yet mercy is a more intimate revealing of the mind of God that either grace of forgiveness.  Today we will review mercy in the old testament, then in the new testament as God's revelation to us of who and what He is. Also, that developing mercy in our own way of thinking is crucial in God's plan for us to grown into fully mature children in His eternal family.Exodus 33:18-20, 34:6-7a Moses had asked God if he might see Him in all his glory... God answered, "I will cause my goodness to pass before you". God is not known by seeing His appearance, He is know though His character… especially seeing that character in action. In revealing Himself God does not focus on His power, His all knowing wisdom, or His transcendence of all things physical and material... He reveals Himself through mercy, grace, and forgiveness [but also on justice]. Understanding these qualities is essential to understanding and knowing God. Today we will concentrate on mercy.Request this free bible study booklet: Who Is God?https://www.ucg.org/bible-study-tools/booklets/who-is-god Keep Reading »

The ox in a ditch principle is found in Luke 14:1-6. From this short section of scripture we get an important perspective on Sabbath keeping: It is right and proper to alleviate the suffering of others on the Sabbath. The example of the ox falling into a hole it cannot get out of also adds the element of an emergency and danger where immediate action is required. Actions required to alleviate suffering could take the form of work you would otherwise not perform on the Sabbath but which needs to be addressed right away. In Luke 13:10-15 another example is offered by Jesus where the regular work of feeding and tending animals is cited. If the animal's owner does not perform the necessary feeding and watering on the Sabbath then the animal would suffer. We know the animals would not die without water or food for 24 hours, but why should they suffer in even a minor way so that we might keep the Sabbath more strictly. Request a free bible study guide - The Ten Commandments Keep Reading »