Tag Archives: working for God

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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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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Resist The Devil, Draw Near To God

Posted on August 13, 2022 by bibleteacherorg

We’ve been studying how God used Nehemiah – the Cup Bearer (or Butler) to the Persian King Artaxerxes – to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Some of you may have wondered why such a subject would be interesting or applicable to us. If so, you haven’t been paying attention to the news.

Our Federal Government has ignored the waves of illegal immigrants crossing the border into the United States. The Government seems unwilling to either finish building the wall on our southern border, or even to enforce policing of the breach with Immigration Control Enforcement Officers. Texas Governor Greg Abbott got tired of 4000 migrants crossing his border every day, straining his infrastructure. So Governor Abbott began to send bus loads of immigrants to Washington D.C. When the Mayor of New York City Eric Adams slammed Texas for sending illegal immigrants to Washington, D.C., Governor Abbot started sending bus loads of illegal immigrants to New York City.

I’m kind of amused, but also saddened. I’m saddened that conditions in Mexico are so pathetic that it’s citizens are flooding into the United States. But I’m also saddened that our hypocritical politicians, all of whom live in gated communities protected by walls and armed guards, refuse to secure our borders.

Walls are important. The Great Wall of China was built over centuries… Continue reading →

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The Kingdom of God Is ..

Posted on June 13, 2022 by bibleteacherorg

Romans 14:17-18 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men.

I want to start the message today with a question we all need to ask ourselves. The question is …

Are We Following The King Of The Old Testament,
Or The King Of The New Covenant?

The Christians at Rome had a major problem in the Church. They were fighting over food.

The Jewish Christian, raised up in the shadow of the Temple and animal sacrifices, believed that certain foods were clean and other foods were unclean. The Gentile Christian, however, was not raised up under the Law of Moses, and saw all foods as clean. This caused friction in the Church. To be fair, the Jewish Christian did not make up these taboos. When God gave Israel the Law through Moses, He established lists of “clean” foods and “unclean” foods. Why did God do this?

• First of all, because God is the King of His people, a people that He loves. Our God is immense in knowledge. He knows all things from the beginning to the end. God is never surprised. 1 John 3:20 states “{God} knows everything” (ESV). God said:

Isaiah 46:9-10 … I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ …… Continue reading →

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The Apostle’s Prayer

Posted on April 24, 2022 by bibleteacherorg

What can we learn from this prayer?
1. A prayer does not have to be LONG to be effective – but it must glorify God. There are many short prayers in Scripture that God answered. There is the Prayer of Peter, when he was walking on water and started sinking:

“Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30)

Jesus answered that prayer, for He reached out His hand to catch and keep Peter from drowning. There is the Prayer of Blind Bartimaeus, who asked Jesus,
“Lord, let me receive my sight.” (Mark 10:51)

Or the Prayer of the Ten Lepers,

“Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13)

Jesus Christ is LORD. He is MASTER. The Bible says:

Philippians 2:8-10 And being found in fashion as a man, {Jesus} humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted… Continue reading →

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Their Works Do Follow Them (Part 1)

Posted on December 23, 2019 by bibleteacherorg

What is a “saint”? The Roman Catholic Church defines a “saint” as “someone who has led a life of heroic virtue”. In Catholicism it is the Pope who proclaims someone to be a “Saint”. Once someone is named a “Saint” by the Pope “public devotion to the saint, called a ‘cultus’, is authorized for Catholics throughout the world”. But is this what the Bible teaches? Continue reading →

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