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The feast of trumpets is our annual reminder of pivotal events in human history… but they are events that have not yet happened. It is a day that marks the end of humanity's grand experiment with self rule.In the beginning God granted man dominion over the earth. Mankind would govern and care for the planet under the watchful eyes and direction of their Creator. However, mankind turned away from the counsel of God and instead turned to Satan's counsel which was "you should make up you own mind about how best to manage you own affairs". God was very displeased and He sent them away from His presence. But, He did not revoke humanity's commission of dominion over earth.  They would continue to have the responsibility to govern and care for earth, they would be allowed to make up their own ways and experience the pain of their choices with Satan’s ongoing counsel. Humanity's commission of dominion over earth is not theirs forever. The day of “having it our way” are scheduled to come to an end. That end date is marked by the return of Jesus Christ which w  e anticipate on the Feast of Trumpets. After the dominion over the earth by the flesh and blood creation of God. The earth will be given to the spirit born children of God [Jesus Christ is the firstborn and pre-eminent of these].When Christ returns, humanity will not be willing to give up their dominion over earth. There will be no peaceful transfer of power. In fact, goaded on by Satan, humanity will gather all their armies to fight and resist Christ at His return. The showdown will take place in a large valley in central Israel [AR-meggido]. The trumpets we associated with first of the fall holy days… are war trumpets, calling troops to battle. However, the trumpets are also a proclamation of rejoicing, and victory. This is what I would like to focus on today… rejoicing. Request this FREE bible study guide: The Coming Kingdom of God Keep Reading »

The Day of CoveringThe 5th annual holy observance of God's festival sequence is a day we have given the name "day of atonement". That name is a somewhat figurative English rendering invented in the 1,500s to try and describe a biblical concept alien to our own culture. A literal interpretation of the Hebrew Yom Kippur is "day of covering"... as a word picture it summons up covering something over with bitumen, pitch or asphalt. The idea being that whatever is underneath is completely and irrevocable covered, forgotten, out of sight.Today we are going to discuss what is covered over and why. The old testament instructions for this day:For the high priest - a covering and cleansing ritual he was to perform on behalf of the people for sins they might have committed unknowingly, in ignorance Hebrews 9:7 [Leviticus 4]. For the average person - a day of fasting and humbling ourselves before God.  The new covenant Church of God does not bring goats in here for a ceremony. Under the new covenant Christ now serves as our High Priest and only He can perform this task. So, we wait for Him to enact the actual cleansing and covering… a future event the old ceremony symbolized. However, the requirement for fasting on the day of covering is still in place for new covenant believers like you or me. Request your copy of God's Holy Day Plan and discover what these days mean for followers of Christ.Keep Reading »

We have all just completed another round of God's annual holy days. The joy filled Feast of Tabernacles looks forward to the receiving of our inheritance and Last Great Day spoke to the glorious future ahead for all humanity. However, here we are back home... looking forward to the fulfillment of those prophetic holy days… BUT… for now we are back to our wandering in the wilderness. The wilderness is a place where we are subject to testing, facing trials, resisting temptation, and persevering until we receive life everlasting. When God led Israel out of Egyptian bondage He took them to the wilderness of Sinai. He took them there for instruction and to prepare them for entering into their inheritance. Which was the promised land. But almost all those millions God led out of Egypt died in the wilderness and only their children were allowed to enter into their inheritance… the promised land. Their experience is a warning and instruction for us as we face yet another year wandering in the spiritual wilderness of this world. Let’s review the wilderness trials of Israel and see what warnings are there for us.Keep Reading »

Biblical GraceIn the English language, grace is a word that is used in many different ways. It is used to mean many different things. Words used in this way tend to end up having no real meaning at all. The bible uses the word grace and tells us it's vital to our salvation Ephesians 2:8. So understanding what grace helps us understand how our salvation is accomplished. To cut though all the clutter... and to understand what the bible means when the word grace is used we are going to look at how grace is used in scripture: what's the context, what's the outcome, is there any reason why God’s grace would be extended to one person over another? Request a free copy of What Does The Bible Teach About Grace. This small but important book will walk you through the scriptural teachings and show you that God's grace is more than you might have thought! Keep Reading »

Jesus Christ’s death was planned by God before the creation of the world. Jesus told the disciples on multiple occasions that He would die… He must die. But when He was executed the disciples reckoned it was a terrible disaster. The Messiah who had come to save Israel and establish the kingdom… was dead. His mission aborted…the dream was over… “time to go back to our fishing boats”.  But Jesus also told them that He would be raised up and then meet them later at a specified location [in Galilee]. He was raised back to life. He did rendezvous with them in Galilee. And He spent 40 days with them presumably teaching them [among other things] the significance of His death in the greater plan God was rolling out. Get a free ebook - You Can Understand Bible Prophecy Keep Reading »

Question (child): Where did I come from?Answer (parent): from daddy and mommy… An inquisitive child might ask, where did mommy and daddy come from?... We’ll from grandma and grandpa… Where did they come from? And so on and so on until you get back to the beginning when God created the first man and woman.  And so, physical humanity are the children or, or the creation of God made from the dust of the ground.What is a Human Made of?Physical humans are composed of mineral and chemical substances of earth (dust) plus animating bio-electrical impulses. Some people think that’s all there is… while others believe there is a spiritual component to humans. You and I fall into that second category… but there different ways that people understand a “spiritual component”.You Do Not Have An Immortal SoulOne of the great false teachings of all time is that man has some sort of immortal soul… fallen or removed from its spiritual home, trapped inside a sinful body and seeking to get back to where it belongs through a life of good deeds or right thinking. Many (perhaps most) people believe that once our physical body dies our immortal spiritual component continues on as a living conscious entity. This is not a concept gotten from scripture or revealed by God.The Spirit In ManAccording to God’s word man has a spiritual component BUT it too is temporary and when our flesh dies this spirit does not have life within itself, it has no conscious thoughts, no plans, no feelings… nothing… unless it is given life by the power of God. That gift of spiritual life is what we are here to discuss today. Request your own copy of Why Were You Born? This booklet will help you discover what the scriptures actually say about God's plan for bring new children into His eternal family. Keep Reading »

Inheritance & The Rights of Sonship in The Family Of GodThose who have believed and are baptized are begotten/conceived by God the Father through the Holy Spirit and are truly His children… but the scriptures clearly indicate that there are elements to this process of being part of God’s Family that are still future. To help the Greek and Roman people of his day understand the idea of maturing from a state of infancy to  becoming a mature heir in the family of God Paul used an example from Greek and Roman culture… Huiothesia.  Paul is the only gospel writer who uses this particular analogy. It’s a 2 part word: Huio (son) + thesia (a placing or designating)… it was used occasionally in ancient Greek for what we call adoption but not typically. So the word adoption is a possible translation but not the only and probably not the best. As we shall see our 21 century ideas of adoption are not really compatible with the overall biblical teaching on who and what the children of God are. Note: the NIV & RSV for example have translated the word as sonship in an attempt to put across the larger idea of what huiothesia means… the formal designation of your son as heir, conferring upon him full rights of citizenship, voting rights, a formal role in managing the estate and so forth. Paul’s use of adoption or sonship in the following places:  Rom 8:15, 23, 9:4; Gal 4:5; Ephesians 1:5. We’ll go through these one by one and I would like you to notice as we go through these verses that the larger context in each case is your future inheritance as a member of the family of God.What’s the Problem With Using The Word Adoption? Keep Reading »

Joy is one of the many gifts of the holy spirit. Joy is a part of who and what your Creator is... its His basic outlook. Those who are imitators of God will live joyfully through life's journey. Here is a link to a PDF version of the slide presentation used with this message: https://www.ucg.org/files/sermons/helping_you_find_joy_slides_-_simple_1.pdfHelping You Find JoyLet's Define What We Mean: feeling good... the opposite of joy would be feeling discouraged, depressed, fearful, worried. Let's not stop at feeling good, because there is more than way to feel good.1. Feeling good because pleasant, positive things are happening to you.a. we will call this circumstantial - a reaction to what is going on around youb. this is the easiest to achievec. BUT, it is mostly outside of your control2. Feeling good because of the way you thinka. we will call this spiritual - the result of your inner thought world, your priorities and outlookb. this is harder to achievec. However, it is mostly within your controlLet's call:o one HAPPiness - meaning gladness about what is HAPPening. o the other Joy - meaning gladness about... ??? We are not always going to be happy. Sometimes bad stuff happens. Ecclesiastes 3:4, sometimes there is sorrow John 11:35. Happiness is conditional. It's an appropriate reaction to certain circumstances: getting a promotion, the birth of a child, receiving a compliment. Joy is not conditional. Joy does not require external circumstances to be "just so". Its based on an overarching viewpoint about life and its purpose. That understanding is the ???Joy is a gift to you from your CreatorYou are physical, made up of atoms, molecules, electrical impulses. All of these are features you share with animals or plants. But God has added a spiritual component to human beings... we like to call the spirit in man. This spiritual component is what separates you from animals such that the Father and Son declare you to be "made in our image". However, you have also been designed with something missing. You have a void in you. A space which needs to be filled. You have also been designed with a yearning to fill that void with something. The void is designed to be filled with the holy spirit of God. The addition of that last missing piece is how you become a fully complete child of God. Ready to inherit eternity and a place in the family of God. The receipt of the holy spirit gifts you with many characteristics and traits of God your Father and creator... this includes JOY.John 15:5 --> John 15:11 --> John 16:22  Do your own personal bible study on the Holy Spirit of God with this free bible study guide: The Power of the Holy SpiritThe Flow of JoyHappiness - based on what flows towards you. Incoming experiences, what happens to you. This is based on getting or receiving.Joy - based on what is going on within you... how you think... AND shows itself in what flows out from you… what you give to life.Acts 20:35  Jesus taught that there is a way of life that is better. A way of life that is focused on what flows out from you rather than what flows towards you. This can be expressed as generosity with material goods [the most common application]. I believe it actually encompasses that… but so much more! Such as how you spend you time, or the showing forth the fruits of the spirit, patience, kindness, gentleness.Growing in Joy [chart]To grow in Joy you have to resist the fleshly nature of the mind which is to focus primarily on yourself. If you want to increase the joy in your life focus more on others. Avoid  self pity -- self centeredness -- self absorption. Consider this list of negative traits as self oriented:· Resentment (what I think I deserve)· Greed (getting more stuff so I can feel more secure)· Complaining (how I would run things if I were in charge)· Jealousy (I should have gotten that, not her

Goodness: Defining TermsGoodness is the quality of being good. Good is a word that has so many uses and applications in the English language that its almost meaningless. For example; we use it to express: l Satisfaction & pleasure: that was a good milkshakel Having necessary skills for a role: she's a good accountantl Enjoyment: Everyone had a good time at my partyl Thorough: take a good look aroundl Possessing moral virtue: he's a good person When I read about what  the holy spirit produces in believers… and I read love, joy, peace, patience, kindness... goodness. I don't feel like I understand what the scriptures are getting at unless I dig in and take a closer look. Especially so with Goodness. That is what I hope to do today. Do your own personal bible study on the Holy Spirit of God with this free bible study guide: The Power of the Holy Spirit In your bible you'll see "good" used in a variety of ways [loosely lining up with the examples I just went through. But the Greeks used different words for the different meanings: 1. Eudokia - pleasing, delightful, satisfactory {good milkshake, good party]2. Kalos - acts which demonstrate virtue3. Agathos - virtue, a state of mind, a quality of character We are going to dispense with Eudokia because it does not apply to the work of the holy spirit. Instead we are going to focus on the first two: Agathos, and Kalos which both relate to virtue. Matthew 7:17-20 here we see both words [agathos and kalos] used together in a sentence. "every good tree" --> agathos"bears good fruit" --> kalos Every peach tree produces peaches, every cherry tree produces cherries, virtuous people do virtuous things.Agathos represents the ability to tell the difference between good and evil. Whereas, kalos represents the doing of good rather than evil. In What Way Is Goodness of God’s Spirit?Go back to Galatians 5:22 where we find the listing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness... the Godly character trait of goodness is from the word agathos, not kalos. Its referring to the good tree rather than the good fruit. The power of God's holy spirit at work in you is so that you might know the difference between good and evil, and be convicted, or “put on notice”, that good acts are better than bad acts. But, the holy spirit does not itself produce the good works. John 16:8 the spirit of God provides proper judgement regarding sin and righteousness! When I was a young man I was not living a virtuous life. One day I was with one of my comrades and I blurted out "you know... we shouldn't be doing this stuff. It's wrong".  They gave me a funny look. I can look back now and see that as the turning point after which everything started to change. My friends started dropping off, my weekends started to become rather lonely. Not all at once but slowly, one by one, I started acting on matters I was becoming convicted of.  I started to change who I was and what I did… I was struggling towards goodness. What changed? Three elements:1. Conviction given to me though God's spirit working with me [although not yet in me]2. Increased contact with God's word... I found a modern English translation of the bible on a subway car. I read it. Some things in scripture were plain and obvious. But some things I found rather confusing... 3. Then I found the Church of God who offered me better understanding of what the scriptures really said. God will give you the conviction concerning what is good versus what is evil… like a seed, a little sprout, and if you respond to it… it will grow. Doing is prompted by thinking & thinking is re-enforced through doing. This is one of  His gifts to you through the spirit, through the word, and through the church. But your Creator will not force you to act upon your conviction. He will not force you to do the good rather than do the evil. Analogy: God

Kindness: Mercy & Grace in ActionThe English word kindness is listed in Galatians 5:22 as one of the attitudes or actions the spirit of God produces in believers. What does kindness mean? You might say "its hard to be too specific, but, I know kindness when I see it". Acts of kindness might include courtesy, encouragement, generosity,  devotion of money or time… for example: offering someone who is stranded a ride home in your car. But isn't it possible for an action to appear kind but be nothing of the sort. A well dressed man might offer someone a ride home... if that someone is a little old lady you might say “that's kind”. But if that someone  is a  young woman wearing hotpants and a halter top... “kind” might not be the word you would choose.So what we consider kind is conditional. It depends on the circumstances. What are those conditions and circumstances? What is the biblical model for kindness? Today we are going to explore what the kindness produced by God's spirit looks like. We'll try to define it, we'll probe into kindness as an expression of God's character, and we'll consider how, where and why God wants us to put on the mindset of kindness. Do your own personal bible study on the Holy Spirit of God with this free bible study guide: The Power of the Holy SpiritDefining KindnessI would like to propose that the “kindness” referred to in Galatians 5:22 can be understood as: help, service, generosity, assistance, even words, rendered to another person not in accordance with what they deserve or have earned but as an active expression of mercy & grace... A. showing outgoing concern for their well-beingB. Showing our own putting on of Godly character That’s my conclusion. Now, let me back up and explain how I came to that definition.The Greek word The word Paul used the Greek word chrestotes in Galatians 5:22 in English you read that as kindness. The word chrestotes was used in the Greek language to represent that which is useful, helpful, and by extension - moral excellence. So I believe Paul was inspired to use it to carry the sense of something done to help, or serve, another person because its the right or virtuous course of action [rather than a transaction done expecting a return or reciprocity].The Modern English WordThe contemporary definition of the English word "kindness" is something like: friendly, generous helpful, considerate, pleasant agreeable. Its a pretty good choice but it does lack a bit with regard to the full biblical definition we want. How do these acts become products of God’s spirit rather than just social niceties? We’ll get there by adding the motive… which will be grace & mercy. But first, more on our good old English word “kind”…Being Kind to Your Own KindIn English, “kind” is also used to mean a particular class or type of thing: " a daschund is a kind of dog", "she's a special kind of person" etc. That was the original meaning of the word in Olde English. Over time it morphed to take on a larger meaning pertaining to acts and attitudes. Human beings are more apt to treat our own kind in ways that are helpful, considerate, generous... than we are to act this way toward outsiders, those of a different class, religion, nationality, tribe, family, fraternity, friend group. We find it easier to relate to those we consider "our own kind". We assume we understand where our own kind are coming from, and we can more easily picture ourselves in their shoes. This is a sort of worldly kindness… we take care of our own and hope they will do likewise. Luke 6:32-36 our Father creator is calling us to something else. A form of kindness that is powered by His spirit, which imitates Him, and adopts His way of thinking.God’s Kindness: Where It All BeginsGod is kind and our understanding of what this fruit of the spirit is begins and builds upon our understanding of God. Ephesians 2:1-10 in His mercy we are saved from death, in H