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The Hypocrisy of Prejudice; The Man with the Gold Ring: James 2:2-4

The Epistle of James

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The Bridge Commentary consists of four sections: Definitions, Background, Questions, and Comments.  The Definitions section explains all significant Greek words found in all the verses of this passage. The Background section contains material which will help to frame the passage in its 1st-century setting. The Questions section includes queries you may want to ask of the text. Finally, the Comments section contains observations of the verses sorted in word or phrase order.

The entire second chapter of James addresses two areas: the hypocrisy of partiality or prejudice (James 2:1-13) and the life-altering alliance between faith and works  (James 2:14-26). In the first area, using a real-life incident between a rich and poor man, James disassembles the sin of prejudice, as it existed among the congregation.

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Have You Noticed the Beauty of the Sky Lately?

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Have you noticed the beauty of the sky lately?

Are You Too Busy to Notice the Beauty?

  • The information, social media, and technology age in which we live have plotted against us I think.
  • Walk through any crowd of people and what do you see?
  • Everyone has their face pasted into a smartphone.
  • The question is, are we getting smarter?
  • Or are we missing the very beauty of God which is all around us?

Psalm 19:1 (ESV) — 1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.

  • What do you think about these things?

[Tweet “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. – Psalm 19:1.”]

Taken while visiting the Tulsa Zoo. For more of our travels check out our Instagram account.© 2017 Emery Horvath

For more ‘photo posts’ see ‘Are you a Christian in Hiding?’.

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Why You Don’t Have to Be Sick in Light of the Bible

Podcast: Light on Life Season Four Episode Fourteen

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Why You Don't Have to Be Sick in Light of the Bible

The Bible teaches us why you don’t have to be sick. On January 17, 1993 Duane Miller was healed of throat condition that reduced his speech to a raspy whisper. While teaching his Sunday school class from Psalm 103 at the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, Duane reaffirmed his belief in divine healing and that miracles had not ended with the Book of Acts. The miracle happened when he got to verse four, which says ‘who redeems your life from the pit’. On the word ‘pit’, his life changed. The word was completely clear. He paused, startled. He said a few more words—all in a normal clear tone—and stopped again. The class erupted with shouts of joy, astonishment, and sounds of weeping. God completely healed him. 1

How’s that for a healing testimony? While he read the Word, he received health. Doesn’t that match the scripture in Proverbs 4:20-22?

Proverbs 4:20–22 (KJV) — 20 My son, attend to my words; Incline thine ear unto my sayings. 21 Let them not depart from thine eyes; Keep them in the midst of thine heart. 22 For they are life unto those that find them, And health to all their flesh.

Get ready to be healed today.  We are going to be reading some healing verses, God may choose to heal you this way this day as we discuss “Why You Don’t Have to Be Sick in Light of the Bible”.  So, hook your faith up to His Word today. All this and more on this week’s Light on Life.

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#S4-033: Why It’s Important to Flow in Faith’s Domain [Encore Podcast]

[Tweet “Are you weak by reason of some degeneration? Then God has some therapy for you.”]

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Why You Should Be Easy To Be Holy Spirit Led

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We should allow ourselves to be easy to be led by the Holy Spirit.

The story of missions in more modern times tells of missionaries whose plans have been changed by the Holy Spirit.  Alexander Mackay prepared for work in Madagascar but was directed to Uganda, to aid in founding one of the most remarkable missions in the world. Carey proposed to go to the South Sea but was guided divinely to India, to give the Bible in their native tongue to its teeming millions. Judson wanted to go to India, but his course was changed and he went to Burma instead. When David Livingstone was twelve years of age, he read an appeal for missionaries to go to China and he decided to go. His next decision was to be a medical missionary. With this in view, he began to complete his medical studies. About the time he was ready to go, the Opium War broke out and Englishmen could not go to China. Robert Moffat was in England at that time telling of the South African mission. Livingstone was interested in Moffat’s story and said: “What is the use of waiting for the end of this abominable Opium War? I will go at once to Africa.” Thus the Holy Spirit led Livingstone to Africa and the dreadful slave trade was laid bare to the world. [—Mrs. A. L. Aulick, J.H. Bomberger; Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 488–489.] In today’s post, we are going to address why it’s important for a believer to be easy to be led by the Holy Spirit.

[Tweet “Are you telling the Lord that His gentle voice in your heart is not enough direction for you?”]

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#S4-013: Do You Have A New Vision for A New Year? [Podcast]

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Do You Have A Vision for Your Life?

This is the New Years edition of Light On Life. This is the time of the year where people think about things like resolutions, goals, and vision for the upcoming year. Soon after the completion of Disney World, someone said, “Isn’t it too bad that Walt Disney didn’t live to see this?” Mike Vance, creative director of Disney Studios, replied, “He did see it—that’s why it’s here.” 1  Vision is seeing things invisible. Do you have a new vision for this new year?

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[Tweet “The degree of vision which dwells in a man is a correct measure of the man.”]

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Statements Of Faith And Consecration In The Area Of Hearing God

How's Your Hearing?

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How You Can Hear God in Your Heart

In his book When You’re All Out of Noodles, Ken Jones writes about a lesson he learned one day at the office on hearing God.

[When I walked into my office,] I noticed something I had never seen before. It was round, about the size of a dessert plate, and plugged into the wall, giving out a constant noise. It wasn’t a loud noise, just constant. What in the world is that thing? I thought as I stopped to stare. I finally asked the receptionist about it. She said, “It’s an ambient noise generator. If it’s too quiet in here, we can distinguish the voices in the counseling offices, and we want to protect their privacy. So we bought the noise generator to cover the voices.” Her explanation made perfect sense to me but didn’t it have to be louder to mask the conversations, I asked. “No,” she said. “The constancy of the sound tricks the ear so that what is being said can’t be distinguished.” Interesting, I thought. Very interesting. One kind of noise to cover the sound of another. It made me think and pray. No wonder, Lord. No wonder I strain to hear what you have to say to me. The constancy of sound—little noises, soft, inward, ambient thoughts and fears and attitudes—tricks the ears of my inner man and masks your still, small voice. God isn’t silent. We just have trouble hearing him. 1

For more on this subject see the post ‘Simple Spirit Lessons on Prayer and Being Led.’

[Tweet “Spiritual means walking in or developing the fruit of love and it is components in your life.”]

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#S4-012: Why You Need to Understand What the Star of Bethlehem Really Means [Podcast]

The Christmas Podcast

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Understanding the Reason Behind the Star of Bethlehem Will Help Your Faith in God.

God’s plan was thought up and set in motion before the foundations of the world (Eph. 1:4). Particular courses of events and situations, at times, align to bring into a focus a particular aspect of God’s wisdom and plan. Today, we are going to look at the birth of Jesus in this way. We are going to look at some of the events that came into view and we are going to ask a rather startling question about one of those events, the appearing of the star. Here is the question: ‘What would have happened, had the Star of Bethlehem not appeared?’

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[Tweet “God’s plan for your life was thought up and set in motion before the foundations of the world.”]

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Simple Spirit Lessons on Prayer and Being Led

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There are multiple ways to be led by the Spirit of God. Here are some truths you might ponder in this area of being hearing God and allowing Him to lead you in your everyday life. Some of these lessons may help accelerate your learning curve and make your life more effective and fulfilling. Consider the following.

[Tweet “Being Spirit led must be your focal point because you only maximize what you emphasize.”]

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Are You A Christian in Hiding?

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Are You A Christian in Hiding?

Don’t Be A Closet Hiding Christian

  • It’s not the way of Jesus.
  • Jesus told us so in the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:14 (KJV) — 14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

  • Are you a Christian in hiding?
  • Have you hidden God’s plan for your life as the man with one talent did in Matthew 25?

Matthew 25:24–25 (KJV) — 24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: 25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.

  • Notice what caused this man to ‘go to earth’ with his talent, fear.
  • He said, ‘I was afraid.’
  • The message of Jesus to us today is fear not.

Luke 12:7 (KJV) — 7 But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.

[Tweet “The message of Jesus to us today is fear not – Luke 12:7.”]

Taken while visiting the Tulsa Zoo. For more of our travels check out our Instagram account.© 2017 Emery Horvath

For more ‘photo posts’ see ‘Narrow is the Way Which Leads to Life’.

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#S4-011: How Evil and Wickedness Is the Path to Sickness [Podcast]

Gospel Truths on Healing

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Wickedness is the path to sickness.

Proverbs 6:12-15 shows some of the areas which cause sickness and disease to flourish on planet earth. Knowing what they are and determining to avoid them will help us live our lives in health and wholeness. Henry VIII was known for his many wives. It was the custom of those days for each of the bishops to make presents to the king on New Year’s Day. Bishop Latimer went with the rest of his brethren to make the usual offering; but, instead of a purse of gold, he presented the King with a New Testament, in which was a leaf doubled down to this passage, “Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.”1 I bet you that didn’t go over well with the King. We’re in Proverbs six and we are looking at the characteristics of worthless and wicked men which open the door to incurable diseases.

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[Tweet “The Bible maintains an absolutely strong and solid connection between salvation and healing.”]

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Why We Should Listen to the Word of God in the Person of Jesus

The Book of Hebrews

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You Can Know God's Will if You Listen to Jesus.

It is almost impossible to talk and listen at the same time. If we do most of the talking, we cannot hear God speaking to us. In When I Relax I Feel Guilty, author Tim Hansel notes: An American Indian was in downtown New York, walking with his friend who lived in New York City. Suddenly he said, “I hear a cricket.” “Oh, you’re crazy,” his friend replied. “No, I hear a cricket. I do! I’m sure of it.” “It’s the noon hour. There are people bustling around, cars honking, taxis squealing, noises from the city. I’m sure you can’t hear it.” “I’m sure I do.” He listened attentively and then walked to the corner, across the street, and looked all around. Finally, on the corner, he found a shrub in a large cement planter. He dug beneath the leaves and found a cricket. His friend was astounded. But the Cherokee said, “No. My ears are no different from yours. It simply depends on what you are listening to. Here, let me show you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of change.… And he dropped it on the concrete. Every head within a block turned. “You see what I mean?” he said as he began picking up his coins. “It all depends on what you are listening for.” In a church filled with a variety of sounds, the truth rings clear when we close our mouths and train our ears to listen for God’s Word.1

For more on the Book of Hebrews please see the following post: How to Unravel the Puzzle Which Is God’s Will

[Tweet “You have to look into God’s Word with precision and effort. Lazy people get very little from God.”]

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#S4-010: Why You Should Not Engage In Crooked Speech [Podcast]

Gospel Truths On Healing

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Crooked Speech Opens the Door to Sickness and Disease

In the Word of God, there is absolutely a strong and solid connection between health and healing, between sin and sickness. You will find, as look at the Word, that there are verses which reference being healed and being saved both in the same verse. We are going to look at Proverbs six today and look at the connection between a sin and incurable diseases. One of those connections is crooked speech.

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[Tweet “The Bible maintains an absolutely strong and solid connection between salvation and healing.”]