Yesterday we studied about how there has been a great perversion of the Gospel in our times. The gospel has been changed from "Jesus came to save us from our sins" to "Jesus came to save us from our troubles." There is an eternal difference between the two.

John Hus

         I have been privileged to know some of the top leaders in just about every field—the church, business, industry, education, government, sports, the military, science, and entertainment. Some common denominators are found in all who reach the highest levels. One is that they are energetically and enthusiastically devoted to staying on the cutting edge of knowledge in their field. This is almost always because of their love of knowledge and their love of their profession.

     The national debate on health care is rising in intensity every day. This is very encouraging—Americans are waking up, getting informed, and becoming engaged. Truth and light are the “divinely powerful weapons” that can have a much greater impact than any military force. As light has been shown on the health care bill, it is creating a remarkable awakening.

As we continue our study of crossing over to possess the Promised Land this week, we want to examine in a little more depth the reason for the ban that caused Achan to get into trouble. This ban was that the people could not keep any of the gold, silver, bronze, or iron in Jericho, but it was to be given as a first fruits offering to the Lord. This ban was not a punishment on the people, but it was a preparation so they could be trusted with the unprecedented blessing that the Lord was about to give to His people.

In Revelation 13 we are told about the beast who seeks to place a mark upon all who worship him so that no one can buy, sell, or trade unless they have his mark. Countless hours have been spent by many devoted Christians trying to foresee the form in which this mark would come so that they could avoid taking it. It may seem like an over-simplification, but we will take just a few minutes over the next few weeks to understand this beast and the mark, as well as how to not take it from the clear teachings of Scripture.

We continue our study this week with Ephesians 6:5-6:

There is a hope that will never disappoint— the hope in the Lord. He will never leave us and He will never fail us. Christianity has been given the greatest hope the world has ever heard— Jesus is going to return to rule over the earth. He will establish His throne upon righteousness and justice. Not only will everyone be treated fairly, but He is going to restore the original paradise that the earth was intended to be.

This week’s text is Ephesians 4:17-19,