The role of Scripture vs. the role of traditions in man’s salvation

In this article I would like to present the truths that I learned from a debate between a Baptist minister and an Orthodox priest on the role of Scripture vs. the role of traditions in the salvation of mankind. Man has always wanted to “help” God out in the process of salvation. God claims in His Word that He would provide all that is needed for mankind’s salvation and man needs to receive the gift that God offers, trusting that it is enough, or in other words, living by faith.

How to be a great student

With my last article, I wrote about being a great teacher and now I want to look at the other side of the coin, which is, being a great student. The best teachers become great teachers by first being great students. Unfortunately, the motto for our modern era has become “do as I say and not as I do”. We want people to learn from our theory but we do not want to be held to the same standards. That is not good because God teaches us to live what we speak and speak what we live. Hypocrisy and God have nothing in common other than the fact that God recognizes hypocrisy and condemns it. So, if we want to become great teachers, we first must become great students. The beauty of the Word of God is that It teaches us how to be great students and develop into great teachers.

Be grateful to God at all times (Psalm 50)

God will judge our ungrateful attitudes.

 A Psalm of Asaph. The mighty God, Jehovah, has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone. Our God comes, and He is not silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very stormy all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, so that He may judge His people. Gather My saints to Me; and those who cut My covenant by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare His righteousness; for God Himself is judge. Selah. (Psa 50:1-6)

The role of the family in society

It has been said that the family is the bedrock of society and can be proven by the fact that all over the world every society is structured by the same pattern. A man and woman marry and form a family. This process is repeated multiple times making multiple families which form villages, regions, and eventually countries. When several countries come together they form a continent and all of the continents make up the world. The foundation of this entire process is the family. I propose in this essay that the family has a crucial role in society by being a model of love in three different aspects; love for the children, love between husband and wife, and finally love in promoting moral values.

Suicide: Steps to prevention

Tonight I am going to teach a much needed study at the youth group, the title of this article. Working with youth and young adults, I realize that many of them deal with suicide issues (either their own or their friends). The Bible is useful for every aspect of life and suicide prevention is no exception. I want to teach what the Bible says about the subject, and most important, how to prevent it from happening. Have you ever confronted suicidal thoughts? Have you ever known friends who threatened suicide? If you did not know how to respond then I pray that this lesson will help prepare you for the next time.

Church Bible study on debt

Last night our church held a Bible study led by our senior pastor, Vasile Filat. The study was about money and specifically, about debt. It was a great time of fellowship and very insightful for all. I would like to present some of the main truths from the study. I want to thank pastor Vasile for such a wonderful time. I pray that God will continue to bless and protect his family as he faithfully serves the flock here in Moldova and all over the world.

Have you ever met people who never can seem to get out of debt? They work and pay their bills as best that they can yet it seems like they are always behind. Maybe you are this person. Here are a few reasons why some people get in and stay in debt.

What is your attitude toward money and possessions?

I sat in on a Bible study last night. It was led by my wife and we had many of our students from Bayless Baptist church attend. We had such a wonderful time. It was true Christian fellowship. We have not seen each other in a while (since we live about 4,000 miles apart). We were able to catch up on things but most importantly, we feasted on the Word of God together. We are studying “Money And Possessions:The Quest For Contentment“.

Is Israel a blessing to the World?

Some (atheists) dislike Israel for the fact that they have a special blessing from God upon them (not because God likes them more but because it is part of His plan to bless the entire world).  As you can see in the following text, this person has no idea what God has in mind when He says that through the “seed” of Abraham, the entire world will be blessed.

Do Genesis 1 and 2 contradict each other?

This one is too easy and too obvious but I just could not pass it up. Here is the supposed contradiction put forth by the atheist. Does God allow Adam to eat from any tree in Genesis 1 and then forbid him to do so in Genesis chapter 2? Or is the atheist just simply lost when it comes to intellectual integrity? A simple reading of Genesis 1 and 2 will demonstrate that the two accounts are not separate accounts of creation. Instead they are one and the same. Genesis 1 is a broad outline and Genesis 2 adds the details not given in Genesis 1.

Does the Bible teach that parents are to kill their children for being rude?

I want to write this in response to an atheist who claims that the Bible is absurd because of Its teachings on the parent/child relationship. He claims that the Bible teaches that parents must kill their “rude” children (although he does not define what “rude” means). He puts no effort in to understanding a text from the Bible. Like most atheists, he is quote mining or cherry picking verses and trying to use them against the Bible. Atheists usually ask that you refrain from using the Bible as a source when defending the Bible yet they try and use the Bible against Itself day and night. They have a very obvious double standard (but that is a different topic that we can cover later). Here is the info from the atheist’s blog.