After the Easter Story: Resurrection Power and the Christian

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Steve Husting

Edited contents taken from Living with the End in View, book 2, by Steve Husting
http://www.lulu.com/shop/steve-husting/living-with-the-end-in-view-book-2/paperback/product-753096.html

The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the defining aspect of the Christian faith. No other religion has this story of God dying for sinners. Yet the result of that resurrection — the aftermath of power available to us through the resurrection — is missing from the lives of most Christians. It’s like we heard enough of the gospel story to accept Jesus as our Savior, but not enough to live by the resurrection life and power He came to give us. When He ascended to heaven, He did not intend for us to fend for ourselves until we die and wait to be raised up to heaven. No. His death, burial and resurrection have an immediate effect on those who believe; He sends the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and make that new life a reality. Let’s look closer at the work of the resurrection in our lives. Continue reading →

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In Matthew 5:17, Doesn’t Jesus contradict the NT authors about the law continuing forever?

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Steve Husting

Here is the passage in Matthew 5:17-19:

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

Yet in the gospels Jesus does not appear to be preparing us for a time when the law or any portion of it will be done away with. In apparent contradiction to Jesus, Paul teaches that the law has come to an end (Romans 10:4; Galatians 3:13; 5:1-4). How do we reconcile Jesus’ words with Paul’s? Continue reading →

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Did Jesus really mean it when he said to remove the eye or hand if we can’t stop sinning?

Posted on March 7, 2018 by Steve Husting

Here is the passage: “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life maimed or crippled, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the eternal fire. If your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into the Gehenna of fire.” (Matthew 18:8-9). Continue reading →

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Why are some prayers not answered?

Posted on December 29, 2017 by Steve Husting

The Bible gives us several reasons why prayers may not be answered. Here are a few. In addition, we can learn to live a life of answered prayer. I’ll cover that later.

If we have enough faith to pray, but then are unbelieving about the issue, then go back and forth, then we won’t receive anything from the Lord. James 1:6-8 tells us, “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” Continue reading →

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How can you prepare yourself for the rapture?

Posted on November 24, 2017 by Steve Husting

Jesus told us how in Matthew 24:36–51. There, Jesus told his disciples to “watch therefore, for you do not know” when he will come again. Then Jesus gives us two examples of what it means to watch and not watch.

In 24:43–44, the man of the house knows a burglar is coming to rob him. So he makes preparation to defend his home and his life. We have an enemy who wishes to rob us of our spiritual blessings. The one who is ready, therefore, will be protecting his faith.  Continue reading →

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Why was Jesus against the Pharisees so much?

Posted on November 18, 2017 by Steve Husting

We don’t have very far to look to find out why Jesus and the Pharisees clashed; He pointed out their flaws repeatedly. Let’s look at a few, for the reasons He had against the Pharisees are the same general reasons He has against all religions. Continue reading →

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Continuing in faith

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Steve Husting

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6).

How did we receive Christ the Lord? When we heard the gospel and received it by faith. We realized that we were in need of a savior to save us from our sins. We knew we did not have it in us to save ourselves. God presented His Son to us and we believed, and were saved.

It was not supposed to stop there. We were not to go on in our own strength. We were to continue to believe. The Spirit will continue to show us where we are lacking. In those cases, we are to acknowledge our inability and find in Christ the ability. Continue reading →

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Happy in the Kingdom

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Steve Husting

[This is a book excerpt from Life in the Kingdom: The Gospel According to Jesus in the Book of Matthew, by Steve Husting, in  print now, then ebook soon.]

Introduction

Normally, we think that we can be happy only when certain pleasant conditions are met, such as everything going our way, or doing a fun activity we like to do, or just having peace between times of stress.

With the kingdom of God, the times of happiness are dramatically broadened. The verses at the beginning of Matthew chapter five begin with the word blessed, which means happy, fortunate, or well off. Therefore, in the kingdom of God people can be happy though poor, mourning, meek, hungering for righteousness, merciful, pure in heart, a peacemaker, or persecuted. These are not normal areas for happiness. Who is happy when they have been mistreated or wronged? Rather than being merciful with a smile, the normal response is revenge, anger, or be scared. How can there be happiness in these situations? Continue reading →

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Using logic and reason to share the gospel?

Posted on September 9, 2017 by Steve Husting

Some Christians are frustrated when using arguments of logic and reason, such as from nature, to prove the existence of God or convince a person to become a Christian. The problem with this approach is that it does not take into account the corruption of our faculties, including our reasoning faculties, by sin. Our reasoning abilities don’t exist in a vacuum. Because of the polluted root at the base of our reasoning, our arguments will be co-opted by the flesh and not formed on purely logical grounds. Let’s see some examples. Continue reading →

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Posted on July 31, 2017 by Steve Husting

I recently re-watched the movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I found in this viewing some uneasy parallels with today’s church. In this episode, the Ministry of Magic took over the running of the Hogwarts school, denying the return of the enemy, He-who-shall-not-be-named (Voldemort), which occurred in the previous movie. The ministry made many efforts to squash any affirmation of his existence.

The Defense of Magic teacher was replaced by a Ministry official, Dolores Umbridge, who taught that the mere theory of defense was good enough to learn, as there was no enemy to defend against anyway. This was disturbing on several levels because it mirrors the affair of the church at present. Seminary-trained teachers have entered our pulpits and insist that there is no spiritual enemy. He-who-shall-not-be-named (Satan) does not exist as a literal person, and he and hell are only metaphors of evil or error. Continue reading →

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