Building on the Foundation

There are many go-to verses that we are quite familiar with in the Church of God; verses for just about every situation you might come across, and to refute all kinds of modern pagan religion. The Bible is a sword, after all, and it is quite powerful in the real sort of warfare we engage in on a daily basis. For instance, people in the world will tell you to “follow your heart,” meaning that whatever desire might cross the screen of your heart should be followed. You should essentially let your desires and emotions rule your life rather than any form of discipline or written code as in the case of the Christian religion. Though the problem with this is obvious, many Christians buy into this false idea that the heart is something to be followed. Jeremiah said something about this when he said, The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9 (AFV) This is similar to the ideas that are echoed in Genesis and in Proverbs, the idea that the he...

  How do you know who God’s people are? How do you know who your true brethren in Christ are — and who they are not? Are they members of a specific church or 501(c)(3) organization under the US tax code? Are they people who hold a specific set of beliefs? Are they people who simply believe in Jesus? Fortunately, we don’t have to guess or make up our own standards. We don’t have to lean on our own understanding (Prov. 3:5). God’s Word is the measuring stick. It gives us guidelines. In Mat. 7:15-20, Jesus Christ instructed us, 15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 “You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 “Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 “A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 “Therefore by thei...