Tag Archives: Following Christ

You Can’t Run Looking Backwards

Posted on December 31, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Those who run looking backward are not children of God. They are enemies of the cross. Jesus Christ came to save us from our sins – not to enable us to revel in them. Those who love Jesus – love Jesus. Those who love Jesus – look for Jesus.

Philippians 3:20-21 For our CONVERSATION {politeuma, community, commonwealth, citizenship} is in heaven; from whence also we LOOK FOR THE SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST: 21 Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself.

We live for Jesus, not for ourselves. May God move on your hearts! The great Pastor and Preacher C.H. Spurgeon wrote of the false Christian, saying:

“These professors have… learned to sleep over the mouth of Hell and dream of Heaven while damnation is denounced upon them.”

And the great Evangelist Billy Graham said,

“Millions of professing Christians are only just that — ‘professing.’ They have never possessed Christ. They live lives characterized by the flesh.”

If you are saved, you will desire Jesus. You will love God’s Word. You will want to grow into what He wants you to be. May God lead you to His side daily! Amen. Continue reading →

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Redeeming The Time

Posted on December 31, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Ephesians 5:15 See then that ye WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY, not as FOOLS, but as WISE,

The Bible uses the word “WALK” as a picture of living. This is the seventh time that the Apostle uses “WALK” in this book. How you walk is how you live out your life. How you walk will effect your eternity.

Word Study: We are commanded to “WALK CIRCUMSPECTLY”. The word “CIRCUMSPECTLY” is the Greek akribōs, which means “in an accurate and diligent manner, in a way that avoids flaws”. When we encountered the word “WALK” in the earlier passages of this book, we read:

Ephesians 2:2 (LSB) ….. you FORMERLY WALKED according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,

When you were lost, you walked carelessly. You walked as “fools” do. When the Bible uses the word “fool”, it is a reference to those who are godless. “The FOOL has said in his heart, ‘there is no God’. They are corrupt, and do abominable works” (Psalm 14:1). But once you met Jesus, you were saved by Grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). At that moment, your “walk” changed. We were told:

Ephesians 2:10 (LSB) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that WE WOULD WALK IN THEM.

To walk “circumspectly” is to walk not in sin, but in good works, in works that glorify the Lord our God. Continue reading →

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Winning Christ

Posted on December 17, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Philippians 3:1-3 Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. 2 Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision. 3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Rejoicing In The Lord, Our Safe Place

Word Study: When Paul begins this section with the word “FINALLY” (Gk. Loipon), it makes us think that this will be the last chapter of this book. It’s not. The word loipon means “now, furthermore, or from this point onward”. Paul has spent the last two chapters telling us the glorious riches we who are Christians have received from Jesus Christ. What do we who are Christians have?

1. We are all “saints of God”, set apart in God the Father’s eyes because of our faith in Jesus (Philippians 1:1).

2. We did not earn this sainthood. We have “grace and peace with God” as a free gift from our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:2)…. Continue reading →

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As Dear Children

Posted on December 17, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Ephesians 5:1-2 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; 2 And WALK IN LOVE, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savor.

The Child of God is a follower of God. The Child of God loves Jesus, God’s Only Begotten Son. Are you a Child of God? If you are not, what a wonderful day it would be to give yourself to Jesus! To be a Child of God was not offered to Israel under the Old Covenant. But being a Child of God is offered to ALL who will receive Jesus today. The Scripture says:
Galatians 4:4-7 (NKJV) But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that WE MIGHT RECEIVE THE ADOPTION AS SONS 6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Only a Child of God can have the Holy Spirit. If you are not a Child of God, you are a slave to sin and the Law. Oh how I pray that you would give yourself to Jesus this very day! Continue reading →

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Living As Faithful Witnesses

Posted on December 12, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 25:1 These are also proverbs of Solomon, which the MEN OF HEZEKIAH King of Judah copied out.

Solomon was a flawed, but wise man whom the Lord used. When King Hezekiah came to the throne (about 270 years after Solomon’s reign), the King had his scribes search the royal vaults to collect additional sayings of Solomon. These words make up chapters 25-29 of this Book.

God used humans in writing His holy Scripture. He could have written the Scriptures through angels had He wanted, but God used man created in His image (Genesis 9:6) to relay His Word.

King Hezekiah was a good and Godly King. He loved the Lord Christ. He wanted to honor God in his office. The Bible says:

2 Kings 18:2-7 (NKJV) {Hezekiah} was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name [was] Abi the daughter of Zechariah. 3 And HE DID WHAT WAS RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD, according to all that his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places and broke the [sacred] pillars, cut down the wooden image and broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made; for until those days the children of Israel burned incense to it, and called it Nehushtan. 5 HE TRUSTED IN THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him. 6 For HE HELD FAST TO THE LORD; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the LORD had commanded Moses. 7 The LORD WAS WITH HIM; HE PROSPERED WHERE EVER HE WENT. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

Hezekiah (Hebrew ḥizqîyâ, meaning “Jehovah is my Strength”) was not the only good King Judah (Southern Israel) had. The Southern Kingdom of Israel had eight good Kings who loved God, who were saved by faith in Christ. The Northern Kingdom had NO good kings, for they departed from God’s Word and God’s Commandment. When Hezekiah became King, the wisest thing he did was seek out the Word of God, and expand the Book of Proverbs. The Bible tells us that Solomon wrote about 3000 Proverbs (1 Kings 4:32), and many of those had not been transcribed up to this point. If Hezekiah was going to be an effective King, he wanted to cling to the Word of God! We are told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “all scripture is God breathed”. Further the Apostle tells us: Continue reading →

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Learning Christ

Posted on December 9, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

I heard a word several years ago – and when I heard it, I didn’t know what it meant. The word was “vicarious”. We all do it, whether we know what the word means or not. When some of you watch sports, you get a vicarious thrill when your quarterback runs a 60 yard touchdown, or your pitcher pitches a no hit game. Vicarious. When I saw Dale Earnhardt win a race, in my mind I was in the cockpit with him! Vicarious means to watch what another person is doing, then imagining that you are the one doing it. I get a vicarious thrill when I watch John Wayne or Clint Eastwood shoot a really bad guy. I didn’t do the shooting. I wasn’t in the scene. But watching it, in my imagination, I put myself there, and get a thrill out of it.

There was a song I grew up with called “Just My Imagination” sung by the Temptations. In the song they sang (and I sang along with them):

Each day through my window I watch as she passes by,
I say to myself, you’re a such a lucky guy.
To have a girl like her, is truly a dream come true.
Out of all the fellows in the world, She belongs to you.
But it was just my imagination, running away with me.
It was just my imagination, running away with me.

That’s vicarious. It’s imagined. It’s dreamed of. You do it when watching television, the movies, sports. You put yourself – in your imagination – in the place of the actor. But you’re really not there. It’s just your imagination.

The Christian way of life cannot be lived vicariously – yet many do so. They imagine they are believers in Christ, but never get in the game. They imagine living for Jesus, but do as little to nothing as they can. Why? Because “it’s just their imagination”. They never REPENTED and RECEIVED the Kingdom of God by faith. … Continue reading →

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The Mind Of Christ

Posted on December 3, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Philippians 2:1-5 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 2 Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. 3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus

What Is The Church?

I remember when I was pastoring in North Carolina, an older woman was talking about a previous Pastor their church had. She told me, “The Pastor really loved Jesus, but he didn’t love us”. That made no sense to me at the time. How is it possible for a Pastor to love Jesus, but not love the Church? If you love the Lord, you will love the Church. What became evident to me as I pastored this flock that the people of that Church defined “love” as the world defines “love”, a selfish, self serving thing. Many of the “members” there wanted to do whatever they wanted to do, regardless of what the Bible said. Many wanted the Pastor to endorse their desires and man made traditions as if they were Scriptural. That is something Aaron would do. You remember Aaron, the High Priest of Israel? We read about it in Exodus 32.

The people whom God saved out of Egypt came to Aaron and demanded, “Arise, make us ĕlōhîm Who will lead us”. Aaron made them an idol representing the triune god. Aaron did not love the people. He should have pointed them to Christ.

Ĕlōhîm, by the way, is the Triune Name of God, the first use of the word “God” in our Bible. The very first verse of the Scripture says: Continue reading →

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With Fear And Trembling

Posted on December 3, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Philippians 2:12-13 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Why Is This Happening To Me?

One of the most common questions I am asked as a Pastor/ Overseer is “Why is this happening to me?”. The “this” that people are usually referring to is some trial of life. Everyone is tried. Everyone goes through mountains and valleys. The valleys can be quite dark at times. The valley could be disease, loss of income, personal conflict, persecution, the death of a loved one, persistent pain or one’s own impending death. It is not sinful to question why a trial is occurring. As long as we do not “curse God and die” (Job 2:9) as Job’s silly unbelieving wife suggested, questioning the trial is not sinful. The Prophet said:

Joel 3:14 (KJV) Multitudes, multitudes in the VALLEY OF DECISION: for the day of the LORD [is] near in the valley of decision.

God allows trials into our lives to bring us into the “VALLEY OF DECISION”, to cause us to examine our lives in the light of eternity. The big question in all of eternity is, … Continue reading →

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What Makes The Church Right?

Posted on December 3, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Ephesians 4:9-12 (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, THAT HE MIGHT FILL ALL THINGS.) 11 And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Jesus Christ Fills All Things

The Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus died on the Cross. He “descended first into the lower parts of the earth”. He came from glory, from Heaven, and was made like us. We are told in the Scripture that Jesus lowered Himself for our salvation:

Philippians 2:7-8 {Jesus}made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus came for the lowest and the least. He was often found sitting and eating with the dregs of human society. Jesus frequented with sinners, with tax collectors, with lepers, with crippled and broken people. The Bible says “you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich”. (2 Corinthians 8:9). Our Lord Jesus suffered. The Bible says “though He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8). Jesus died among thieves, and was buried in a borrowed tomb. Continue reading →

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The Righteous Fall But Rise

Posted on November 21, 2025 by bibleteacherorg

Proverbs 24:15-16 Lay not wait, O WICKED {rāšāʿ} man, against the dwelling of the RIGHTEOUS {ṣadîq}; spoil {šāḏaḏ} not his resting place: 16 For a JUST {ṣadîq} man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the WICKED {rāšāʿ} shall fall into mischief.

Word Study: God addresses the wicked here with a warning. The warning is that God Himself looks after the RIGHTEOUS or the JUST person, but the WICKED will fall and stay fallen. Let’s look at a few of these words in their original text. Let’s start with the words RIGHTEOUS and JUST. This is the same word in the Hebrew, the word ṣadîq (pro. tsad-deek’) which means “the lawful or right walking, the one justified and vindicated by God”.

The Righteous or Just Are Declared So By God Based On Faith In Christ

When a person repents and receives God as Lord and Savior, as Abraham did, the Bible says:

Genesis 15:6 {Abraham} believed in the LORD; and He COUNTED IT {ḥāšaḇ} to him FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

This scripture is quoted numerous times throughout the Bible. In … Continue reading →

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