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The sign of the covenant should encourage Christians

For this is My blood of the new covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins. Matthew 26:28 This week we want to consider the “new covenant” mentioned in Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20, and I Corinthians 11:23-32. It was put into place (instituted) by our Lord and mentioned in four different passages of Scripture. Is there a sign of the new covenant and a penalty for violating the new covenant as there was with the Abrahamic and the Mosaic covenants? Finding all three things concerning the “new covenant” will help us understand the seriousness of the ...

When we pray, begin with God

Luke 13-1-10 Jesus begins with God. That’s where we too must begin. God knows our needs. He is the source of our life. He is our hope for a better life. He is the Lord of all creation. Only after Christ has focused our attention on God and His kingdom and His will does he turn to our needs. “Give us each day our daily bread.” It’s interesting how much Jesus had to say about our physical needs in only one line. That’s all. Here again is why so much of our prayer life is ineffective. You and I probably spend most of our prayer time on our physical needs. Yet Jesus ...

Deer decoys can be productive

For some people, autumn includes decorating with items like leaves and pumpkins. While I enjoy fall as much as the next guy, my idea of decorations leans more toward the deer-decoy type. Decoys can be a productive strategy at any time of the season. The best time to deploy them is during the rut or the immediate run-up to it. For me, the best time to decoy deer is from the second week in October until the end of bow season. Why this time? Because this is when young bucks are starting to sow their oats, bigger bucks are looking to stake out a territory and then move right into prime ...

One shot and many memories

Last weekend, while hiking in the woods, I was surprised to realize that hunting season now includes Sundays. I was ill-prepared: tromping through the trees in a brown sweater, my dogs bounding about with no safety gear. It had been a long time since I’d been in the woods as a hunter, and somehow, I’d missed the memo. That realization sent me down memory lane to my short and fearless stint as a hunter. The “fearless” part is said entirely tongue-in-cheek. What I did have was time with my dad, uncles, and cousins, and those hours were worth more than any trophy. Hunting season ...

Friendship with sinners, part two

Editor’s Note: This is part two of an article submitted by Rev. Dr. James Barnes. Luke 5:28 says he forsook everything. Why does Luke tell us that interesting fact? Because if you were a fisherman and followed Jesus and it didn’t work out you could always go back to fishing. But once you walk away from a tax franchise, there is no turning back, someone else would have taken over your tax booth and there would be nothing to go back to. So when Luke says he forsook all, he meant it. There was no return. Levi abandons everything which had been everything. That is the kind of man ...

We must understand the covenants God made with His creation

And it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you. Genesis 17:11 I believe we should have some understanding of the covenants that God made with His creation if we want to comprehend His purpose for our lives. To gain some understanding we will look at a few covenants in the Old Testament and then compare them to the “new covenant” that Christ instituted before He went to the cross. Hopefully, this will help us to understand the new covenant, the sign of the covenant, and the consequences for someone who violated the covenant. We will begin by looking at God’s ...