I hear from thousands of Christians each week, and sometimes that many in a day. I also hear from those from other faiths or no faith at all. They are diverse—from almost every denomination and nation. I don’t base the following on scientific polling, but it is a good sampling and may be even more accurate than the polls have been recently.

         When the Lord called me to take on some very difficult restoration projects, it was the best of times and the worst of times. He gave me jobs no one else wanted. They were hard on me and harder on my reputation, and sometimes cost me good friends. But through them I got to know the heart of the Lord better than I ever had through study. The harder the job, the more deeply I grew to know Him and the more fulfilling it was, and I think, the more fruit that came.

         We have been discussing how The Great Commission is to make disciples, not just converts. Disciples live to learn from their Master, Jesus, and to become like Him. To do this, they daily sit at His feet and then seek to abide in Him all day. These find their place in His body, because we cannot be rightly joined to the Head without also being rightly joined to His body, the church. It is here that we are to be taught, trained, and equipped for our specific purpose, our calling and ministry, which all Christians have.

There is a growing controversy over elements in John Hagee’s most recent book, In Defense of Israel. The teaching in this book that Jesus never intended to be the Messiah of Israel is a serious departure from basic Christian doctrine, as well as the clear testimony of Scripture. There is an abundance of Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament, as well as the Lord’s own Words recorded in the New Testament and the apostolic Epistles, that very clearly refute this teaching.

        Considering the responses I have received from this WFTW series, I had no idea so many had so little understanding of what Marxism is, and that you would want to learn more. I’m sure many do not really understand capitalism either. It is an encouragement that so many of you want to go deeper in understanding these.

Last week we discussed the importance of having the integrity of quoting our sources, when possible and within reason. It is something we should care about in order to maintain the highest standards of integrity.

The following is an overview of the general direction I see beginning to unfold during the coming year.

The Joy Of The Lord

The next characteristic of love is that it “does not act unbecomingly” (see I Corinthians 13:5). That’s an interesting characteristic of love. We might also say that love is consistent, and the ones who love will have actions consistent with their beliefs. What would this look like?