Words of the Bible
The Bible enables us to be wise for salvation (2 Ti 3:15). Let us learn the true will of God from it.
Why did Jesus come in the human form though He is Almighty God?
God can surely appear in the human form if He wants. God is omnipotent and omniscient. God has the power to choose to be or not to be in the flesh. Then, why did God Himself come to the earth as a fragile baby and son? We can easily understand…
There are many people in the world who claim to follow Jesus. Why is it, then, that they do not keep the new covenant Jesus established?
The purpose of Jesus’ coming to this earth is to give eternal life to human beings who are destined to die because of their sins. In order to lead us to salvation, Jesus established the new covenant on the day of the Passover and became a sin offering for us,…
The Biblical Sabbath Is Saturday. Then, Why Do Most Churches Worship on Sunday?
It is clear that the Biblical Sabbath is Saturday, the seventh day of the week. The early Church kept the Sabbath day holy according to the teachings of the Bible (Ac 17:2; 18:4). Then, why do most churches today worship on Sunday? Let's find out the reason. Sunday and Roman…
Passover
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.”Jn 6:53 The Passover that makes “disasters pass over” is celebrated at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month in…
Only One Thing Is Needed
A woman named Martha has invited Jesus to her home. Jesus teaches the word, and Mary, Martha’s sister, sits at His feet, listening to what He says. Martha is distracted by all the preparations that have to be made. She comes to Jesus and asks, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha,” Jesus answers, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” Martha was busy preparing things to give Jesus a warm reception. However, she missed one thing. It was the fact that listening…
Only by Prayer
Jesus’ disciples are surrounded by a large crowd, arguing with the teachers of the law. Seeing this, Jesus asks why. A man in the crowd appeals to Jesus. “Teacher, I brought your disciples my son, who is possessed by a spirit to ask them to drive out the spirit, but they could not.” At this, Jesus tells him to bring the boy to Him. The boy goes into a convulsion violently and rolls around, foaming at the mouth. Jesus rebukes the evil spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit! I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.” The spirit shrieks and comes out. The boy looks so much like a corpse that many say, “He’s dead.” But…
Reasons We Should Study God’s Word
Why should we study God’s word? Let us understand the reasons through the Bible. 1. For our soul to live God’s word is spiritual food. Jesus said that man lives by the word of God. Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ” Mt 4:4 Can anyone live without eating? No. If we do not eat, we gradually become weak and eventually lose our life. Our souls are not different. If we do not eat spiritual food—God’s word, we weaken spiritually, losing our spiritual power, and eventually our spiritual life. Therefore, we must always eat spiritual food by studying God’s word, spiritual food. 2.…
The Reasons Members Should Serve One Another
God told us to “become the one who serves.” We, heavenly children, should please God by putting God’s teachings into practice. In the Bible, let us see the reason we should serve one another. First, it is because Christ Himself set the example of serving “…whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mt 20:26–28 God is the most high and the most holy in the whole universe. Nevertheless, He came to this earth in human likeness and served us by sacrificing Himself…
How Should We Treat One Another?
God is pleased when His children are united (Ps 133:1; Php 2:1–2). However, if we are rude and inconsiderate of one another, it will be difficult to become one. Therefore, we ought to love each other, being polite and considerate, so that we can become united and please God. Let us see how we should treat one another. First, we should love one another by being courteous “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another." Jn 13:34 God said we must love one another just as He loved us. We have become one body with God by receiving God’s flesh and blood through the New Covenant, and we…
Reasons We Should Endure
In our life of faith, there are many reasons why we must endure. 1. To be saved “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm [he that endureth, KJV] to the end will be saved." Mt 10:21–22 The Bible teaches us that only he who endures to the end will be saved. No matter how great our faith may have been in the past, if we leave the truth, failing to endure to the end, our faith becomes meaningless. We must receive the blessing of salvation by overcoming difficulties with endurance. “By…
The Forefathers of Faith Who Were Blessed by Having Patience
In the Bible, there are many records about the forefathers of faith, who were blessed through their patience. Let us look at what kind of patience we should have, through their deeds. 1. Patience of Job Job was faithful and righteous in the sight of God. He had many children and was prosperous; he had everything. Satan, who envied Job, brought upon him a test difficult to endure. Satan afflicted Job, causing him to lose all his property and even causing his children to die. However, Job did not grumble but rather praised God. . . . and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away;…
They All Joined Together Constantly in Prayer
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After Jesus said His last request and ascended, His disciples leave the Mount of Olives and return to Jerusalem. They go upstairs to the attic where they have been staying, and they all join together constantly in prayer. After ten days, the Day of Pentecost comes. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind comes from heaven and fills the whole house, and what seemed to be tongues of fire separate and come to rest on each of them. It happens just as Jesus said,…
What Kind of Words Should We Speak? (2)
We will continue to look into the kinds of words God wants us to speak. 1. Words of thanks But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. Eph 5:3–4 The Bible teaches us that we should speak words of thanks. God Himself came down to this earth to save our souls that were destined to die, by forgiving all of our sins, and He is leading us to Heaven full of joy, without death or pain. Thinking of this grace…
What Kind of Words Should We Speak? (1)
Our words reflect our personality, our thoughts and emotions. Therefore, as God’s children who have received the promise of salvation, we should glorify God with gracious and thankful words. Let’s find out what kind of words God wants us to use, by looking at the Bible. 1. We should throw away malice and speak good words Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate…
God’s Word Is Absolute
God’s Word is absolute, and there are no exceptions. The only way to receive God’s blessings and salvation is to regard God’s word as absolute. This is because God pours out blessings only upon those who absolutely obey His word. 1. Noah’s Ark God commanded Noah to build an ark, a wooden ship, on the top of a mountain, even though it had not rained up to that time. In fact, it was unimaginable to build an ark of this size; it was 450 feet (137 meters) long, 75 feet (23 meters) wide, and 45 feet (14 meters) high. In those days, it was almost impossible to build a ship of that magnitude. Of course, with modern-day technology it could…
Blessings and Curses as a Result of Our Words
The Bible records the history of people who received blessings or curses as a result of their words. Through their history, let us think of what kind of words we should speak. 1. Peter received the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven Jesus . . . “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon . . . I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Mt 16:13–19 When Jesus asked, “Who do you say I am?”…
The Importance of the Words We Speak
There is a saying, “One word pays back a huge debt.” It means that the impact of a single word is great. God has also taught us many lessons about the importance of words. Let’s find out through the Bible. 1. A Word is like a mirror that reflects what is in our hearts “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in…
You Have Great Faith
When Jesus comes to the region of Tyre and Sidon, a foreign woman falls at Jesus’ feet and begs with a loud voice, “Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession. Please drive the demon out of her.” Jesus does not answer a word. When His disciples comes to Him and urges Him to send the woman away, Jesus opens His mouth and answers, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.” Again she kneels before Him and asks for help. However, Jesus is determined. “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs!” “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from…
The Forefathers of Faith Who Overcame Temptation
Satan has been tempting the children of God with all kinds of evil schemes since the creation of the world. We have to overcome all Satan’s temptations to enter the eternal Kingdom of Heaven. There are many records of the forefathers of faith who were blessed after overcoming Satan’s temptations. Through their examples, let us learn about the kind of faith that we must have in order to overcome temptation. 1. Jesus After fasting forty days and nights, Jesus was tempted by Satan. Similarly, we will be tempted by Satan because we believe and follow Jesus. First, He was tempted with food, man’s weakest point. Jesus overcame the first temptation with the word of God, “Man does not live on…
Victory over Satan’s Temptations
Satan tries to weaken our faith and destroy our souls by tempting us with secular things such as possessions, narcissism, discord, hatred, power, wealth, desire, jealousy, envy, pride, and so on, in order to inhibit us from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. We must overcome all temptations from Satan. 1. How does the devil tempt us? Possessions when we are in need Doubting God’s administration Desire for the wealth and glory of this world Idolatry Hindrance through people around us Increased property and wealth Doubting the truth due to lies Obstructing our way to God through persecution Preventing unity by dividing and alienating Church members 2. How can we overcome Satan’s temptations? Praying continually (Mt 26:41) Standing firm in faith…
Why We Should Make Efforts to Gather in Zion
As parents rejoice when they see their children gather, God is pleased and blesses His people when they come together. “Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” Mt 18:19–20 “Where two or three come together in My name, there am I with them,” is not intended to discourage us from praying individually, but to encourage us to work toward gathering together. The Apostles also recommended for the saints to come together often. “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the…
What Should We Pray About?
We can accomplish everything with God’s help. God waits for us to ask Him for help (Mt 7:7–8), and gives ear to our prayers in the invisible world. Therefore, we should make every effort to pray earnestly (1 Th 5:17). What topics should we pray about? Through the Bible, let us learn one by one. Seeking His kingdom and His righteousness (Mt 6:25–34). To receive much wisdom (Jas 1:5). To not fall into temptation (Lk 22:40). Asking for the Holy Spirit (Lk 11:13). For God to open the door for preaching (Col 4:2–6). To fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel (Eph 6:18–19). To stand firm in faith and in the will of God (Col 4:12). For God to…
When Should We Pray?
In the Bible, the forefathers of faith overcame many adversities by praying. Afterward, they were greatly blessed by God. Jesus, our Savior, prayed while carrying out the Gospel work when He came to the earth. Prayer is essential for Christians; it serves as a link connecting God and us. Through prayer we can express our sincere requests to God. When should we pray to God? 1) We should pray all the time In our daily lives, we should put into practice the words, “pray continually,” by starting, proceeding, and concluding with prayer (1 Th 5:17). 2) Times to pray When we wake up Before we eat At prayer time (summer: 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. / winter: 10 a.m. and…
Give Careful Thought to Your Ways
In 520 B.C., sixteen years have passed since the Israelites were released from Babylon and returned to Jerusalem with Cyrus’s wholehearted support. Through Prophet Haggai, God rebukes the Israelites: “Give careful thought to your ways.” The Israelites had the mission to build the temple of God, but they thought it wasn’t time yet and focused on their daily lives. Prophet Haggai enlightens the Israelites who neglected the work they should do: “Please think about why you do not get the satisfying result of all the work you have done, and you do not acquire any even though you want many things.” The Israelites are moved by these words, and resume the work of building the temple of God. The reason…