by Sam McDonald
Matthew 9:1-8
Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, "This fellow is blaspheming!" Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, "Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins…." Then he said to the paralytic, "Get up, take your mat and go home." And the man got up and went home. When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to men.
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by Sam McDonald
When Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemene, he begged the Father to let the cup pass from him. This demonstrates that Jesus' sufferings on the cross were far more than physical. Many believers in Christ have joyfully went to their death in martyrdom. It is unthinkable that they were in some way more courageous than Jesus.
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By Sam McDonald
There are those today who claim that the Holy Spirit is an interpersonal force which belongs to God the Father. A prominent group of people today who accept that viewpoint are Jehovah's Witnesses.
However, there is ample evidence that the Holy Spirit, just as the Father and the Son, is a person. Continue reading…
By Sam McDonald
There is ample evidence from Scripture that the Holy Spirit is God:
Acts 5:3-4
Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God." Continue reading…
"How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! " (Proverbs 16:16)
At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day. "Now, O LORD my God, you have made your servant king in place of my father David. Continue reading…
By Sam McDonald
A very important teaching of Scripture is that there is only one God. Following are ten verses which speak of that truth:
Deuteronomy 4:35
"You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides Him there is no other."
Deuteronomy 6:4
"Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one." Continue reading…
Matthew 8:5-13
When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. "Lord," he said, "my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terrible suffering." Jesus said to him, "I will go and heal him." The centurion replied, "Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. Continue reading…
(Editor's note: I neglected to introduce Sam McDonald as one of our new writers, and we are pleased to have him join our writing staff as a contributing author. Sam has already written three articles. You can find them under the Student Voices Category.)
Some people say that God plays matchmaker, bringing men and women together to be married. As a single person, I wouldn't know. However, there is at least one occasion where God did seem to arrange a marriage:
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Going from school to summer this year has been a major adjustment. I haven't lived at home for longer than a month since I went away to school two years ago. There are times when the Lord calls us to periods of rest and my time is now. You would think I would take this gift cheerfully but watching two family members go to New Orleans this week to help with hurricane reconstruction has been hard. I desperately need this time but abiding in Him has definitely become a struggle.
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Scripture reveals much of who God is: His character, His attributes, and His workings throughout history. Believers can always learn more about God through reading Scripture, praying, and following Him. However, there are limitations to our knowledge of Him.
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The apostle Paul, in his letter to the Romans, wrote the following:
"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey-whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Continue reading…
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
Part of walking in the Spirit is learning how to recognize and follow after the peace of God. This is something the Lord has taught me through a number of situations over the past semester. There have been several times where an opportunity has arisen and I have taken it and later regretted the decision. We definitely need to be on the lookout for whatever opportunities the Lord might send our way. The Bible says to "prepare your minds for action" (1 Peter 1:13). Continue reading…
If a person asks me what my religious faith is, I will naturally call myself a Christian. However, going through the New Testament, the term "Christian" is used only three times.
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"Earthly things do not fill." The Lord has been drilling that lesson into my head over and over the past couple of weeks. Nothing fills us except Christ. Everything that was intended to give us joy in this life is intended to do just that - give us joy. Earthly desires and pleasures can't do anything more for us because that is not their purpose. If we expect them to completely satisfy, we will be left disappointed and empty. Family does not fill. Friends do not fill. Romantic attachments do not fill. Music (or fill in your passion) does not fill. You get the point.
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