Church of the Nazarene Doctrine
I was born and raised in the Church of the Nazarene and I continue to be involved with it in many ways. My grandparents have left after being members for over 65 years and my aunt after 50 years. My aunt said, "I love the doctrine but the people just aren't living it". The Nazarene church is unique among so many churches because of their strong belief in Entire Sanctification. I strongly believe in entire sanctification but keep in mind that does not mean outward perfection. Below is from the Wikipedia on The Doctrine In Wesley
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)04-25-2008 17:29
Searching The Heart
Psalm 139
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Hebrews 10:14
He has made perfect forever those who are made Holy
It is the lack of heart searching that is the cause of so much sin not only in my own life but in so many Christians. For, when a person takes the time to completely search their heart they will be instantly humbled. Too often we look at our lives from a panoramic view and focus on the outward sin but fail to recognize the inward motives of the heart from which precede all our actions. We will often remember the hateful thing we said to someone and repent of this and then go on our way as if everything is good. It's like a sick person who is constantly taking pain killers to numb the pain but fails to fix what causes the pain. Sin has a way of creeping in and staying by keeping us focused on our outward actions while ignoring the inward condition.
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)04-24-2008 23:51
Walking By Faith Not Emotions
I am now convinced more than any other time in my life that God exists. This doesn't mean that I feel closer to him now, it only means I am convinced of his existence. The past few years God has seemed farther and farther away and yet the more real he appears to me and no this is not a contradiction. I have spent hours on my knees calling out to God and wondering why I haven't had the emotional spiritual experiences that so many people write and talk about.
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)04-24-2008 23:33
It Is Finished!
There was a time in my life when I had this picture in my head of Jesus going to His Father (GOD) every time I sinned and arguing my case. I had this idea that it was like a court room and every time I sinned Jesus would have to go before the judge and say, "don't punish Zach, I already died for that sin, he has asked for forgiveness and I died so don't punish him." It wasn't until I memorized the whole book of Galatians and then Hebrews that I realized that this is not biblical.
The book of Galatians I believe can be summarized in a few short sentences.
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)04-24-2008 23:19
Holding On To Hope
Life always seems to have a way of bringing out the worst in us rather than the good. The good does come out but almost always after we have seen ourselves at our worst. As we go through life things begin to annoy us and frustrate us and then we begin to complain, gossip, and insult others. Finally there comes, or at least there should come a point when we realize that we have let the unimportant things bring us to a place we never thought we would be. It's these times that we see the reality of our fallen nature as humans. These are the times that we realize that there is nothing good in us unless it comes from God.
Continue reading >>> Comments (0)04-24-2008 23:06