Doing away with Hell is in vogue today. Our increasingly fuzzy evangelicalism is determined to not just water it down, but make it go away. After all, we say, God is a loving God and would never be so cruel as to punish people for eternity. For him to do so would be morbid, heinous, READ MORE
Scriptures
Reflections Regarding Temptation
As soon as the Voice from Heaven offered its amazing affirmation that Jesus was the “beloved Son” and that in him the Father was “well pleased” (see Mark 1:11), we might expect that trumpets should blare and crowds to be jubilant. And being that we who associate with Christ Jesus likewise share in these precious affirmations (being loved READ MORE
“With You I Am Well Pleased”
When was the last time you really, truly felt loved and appreciated? Like you were special? That someone, anyone, really delighted in . . . well . . . you? The ancient Israelites wrestled with these questions. They felt forgotten. Abandoned. Lost and desperate. Isaiah 63:19 gives a hint of this, at which place their READ MORE
Wars and Rumors: A Reprise
(I posted this about a year ago, but as I thought about much of what is going on in our world today I decided a reprise made sense, keeping in mind, of course, the dated but still ongoing realities stemming from the 2011 Japanese earthquake, Libya, etc. –Matthew) I am quite anxious about sounding cliché READ MORE
Equipping Our Realm to Live Above & Beyond
At Bethel Church we are continuing a very important sermon series entitled “Living Above & Beyond.” The purpose of the whole series, and this season in which we find ourselves, is to equip followers of Jesus to live above and beyond material slavery, spiritual complancency, and small-minded eternal vision. We want God to meet us READ MORE
The Price of Fellowship
“Write This Down…” provides a restatement of selected points or observations from various teaching venues at which Pastor Matthew speaks. The following material is from Pastor Matthew’s sermon entitled, “The Terrible Price of Fellowship”, part of the sermon series “Memoirs of an Ancient Prophet: A Study of the Book of Daniel,” presented the weekend of READ MORE