Today
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judson added a link contribution Finding Wisdom in the Book of Ruth Chapters 2:14-3:17 (b)The previous post (Click Here for Previous Post) brings me to my point today I wanted to convey; that is, the Faithfulness/trustworthiness/following through with promises to the point of bringing Honor to God. Boaz didn’t marry Ruth because he can but he allows, he is obedient to the law; whereas, he doesn’t try to pull a fast one on the other family member who is next in line to redeem Elimelech’s name and take Ruth for his wife. As we saw last week, Ruth is basically saying “I can be yours” a… Read more »
Yesterday
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20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21 ESV) This is the end of the third chapter of Ephesians which finishes some of the most concise, deep theological passages in the entire New Testament. Paul starts of the book going through predestination, sovereign choice, our inheritance in Christ,… Read more »
Nov 20
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judson added a link contribution Finding Wisdom in the Book of Ruth Chapters 2:14-3:17 (a)[Ruth 2:14-3:13- NASB] V14-16 Continuing from Last Week… Once mealtime came around, Boaz invites Ruth to come eat dinner with his people and/or family. This act is Ruth being included and treated as one of Boaz’s own paid reapers. He is attempting to treat her as one he cares for. Boaz is feeding his staff because he wants reapers who are nourished to harvest grain for him. He is nourishing her because he has found favor in her. After supper, Ruth heads out to glean again and, all the while,… Read more »
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judson added a link contribution Contend for the Faith: Studying the Letter of Jude :: Jude 3-4 (A)3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. (Jude 3-4 | ESV) As we set out on our study through the book of Jude, verses three and… Read more »
Nov 3
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judson added a link contribution Contend for the Faith: Studying the Letter of Jude :: Jude 1-2Introduction The book of Jude is one of the most neglected books in the New Testament. Many (if not most) pastors have never preached through it, and many (if not most) Christians have never even read it from start to finish. Despite the fact that the Jude is commonly neglected (whether intentional or not), it remains one of the most practically applicable books in all of the Bible – especially in light of the status of the contemporary church (“church” meaning those who profess to believe the g… Read more »
Nov 1
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judson added a link contribution Finding Wisdom in the Book of Ruth – Ruth 2:1-13[Ruth 2:1-13 NASB] 2:1-3 – Ruth Works in the Field of Boaz Naomi & Ruth have returned to Jerusalem and Naomi is bitter for what God has done in her life. Ruth, more than likely, has picked up on Naomi’s bitterness and at some point decides to make an attempt to turn things around. Ruth inquires have the opportunity to go and collect food and hopefully find favor with someone in this new land. However, most translations use the word “Glean” rather than “gather”. One reason may be to make… Read more »
Oct 31
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judson added a link contribution From Faith for Faith :: Reflections on Romans 1:16-17For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17 ESV) I read through this yesterday morning when I was waiting to go play basketball and was just mulling over verse 17. My rewording of the passage, “I love the gospel and will proclaim it unapologetically, because t… Read more »
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judson added a video contribution John Piper - Are You a Church or a Club?John Piper at it again... You don't have Christians in need when Christians have plenty. Follow Us: VoM|Posts - http://bit.ly/19VfUP Twitter - http://bit.ly/2jzl0v Facebook - http://bit.ly/1zH5MI Tumblr - http://bit.ly/KcHOz Join Vessels of Mercy: http://bit.ly/19VfUP Read more »
Oct 29
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judson added a video contribution Videology :: Unreached PeoplesThis video will help you understand that there is MUCH to be done in carrying out the Great Commission and how little is being done to accomplish it. Follow Us: VoM|Posts - http://bit.ly/19VfUP Twitter - http://bit.ly/2jzl0v Facebook - http://bit.ly/1zH5MI Tumblr - http://bit.ly/KcHOz Join Vessels of Mercy: http://bit.ly/19VfUP Read more »
Oct 28
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judson added a link contribution Finding Wisdom in the Book of Ruth – Ruth 1:6-22[Ruth 1:6-22 NASB] V6 –7 God’s Grace & Setting Out to Receive It At some point, Naomi and her daughters heard of God’s visiting Bethlehem and blessing and giving them food. This act of grace, one could say it was a miracle, was provided to the Jews who remained in Bethlehem but not with Naomi who resided in Moab. Her first response was to immediately return home where God made his presence known. However, I do not believe the text tells us Naomi’s motivation was due to God but to receiv… Read more »
Oct 18
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judson added a link contribution To the Priase of the Glory of His GraceRecently I was listening to this message by Pastor John Piper and the following is an excerpt of his message: God’s Ultimate Purpose Ephesians 1:4–6 takes us from eternity past to eternity future—from the cause of all things to the goal of all things. I am especially interested in the goal of all things. Why has God created the universe, permitted the Fall, planned redemption, sent his Son, founded the church, guided history? Here is his answer: God chose us in him before the… Read more »
Oct 15
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judson added a link contribution Be filled with the Spirit! BUT HOW?!It has been a long time since I have written anything here but today I have been meditating on a specific question so much that I just HAD to write about it. This won’t be long at all. It’s more of me just jotting down some of my thoughts regarding this particular topic. Often times throughout the scriptures there are refferences to being filled with the Spirit. Now, there are a few different types of fillings of the Spirt. Being indwelt by the Spirit (which happens at the moment of conversion)… Read more »
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judson added a link contribution If Christ Be Not Raised… (Part 1 of 2)The resurrection is one of the most important doctrines in the Christian faith. The whole of Christianity hinges on this singular event. For this reason, the resurrection is under much scrutiny. Many false religions attack the resurrection because without it Christianity falls short of anything more than another religion containing interesting stories and good morals. What if Christ didn’t rise from the dead? Where would that leave us in Christianity? Would there be any reason to our beliefs? T… Read more »
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judson added a link contribution The Book of Life (Philippians 4:3; Book of Revelation) vs. The Book of the Living (Psalm 69:28)On the Vessels of Mercy Facebook Group in the Discussion Board section called Topics of Interest, one of our readers asked the following question: “The Book of Life in Rev. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8. And the Book of the Living in Psalms 69:28. Are these two different books? If the Book of Life is written before the foundation of the world then I would assume that means it is complete. So can someone’s name be blotted out as found in Psalms if these are the same books?” In order to answer this question i… Read more »
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judson added a link contribution Homosexuality and the BibleHomosexuality is currently one of the most controversial issues debated in American culture. It is quite likely that it will remain in the forefront of cultural controversy for a number of years. Sadly, the issue of homosexuality is not limited to the secular world. Many “Christian” denominations around America are debating issues such as the ordination of homosexuals for ministry. This issue is widely debated across the country and the variance of opinion is almost innumerable. As Christians,… Read more »
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judson added a link contribution Does Doctrine Really Matter?I cannot tell you the number of times I have been in a theological conversation with someone and they will say something like this: “I don’t know, I just think there are alot of other things in the Bible that are more important.” Or maybe you’ve heard it said (or even said it yourself): “I think it’s so sad when people get distracted by debating different theologies and forget about what Christianity is all about.” Because this way of thinking seems to be so common among Christians, I would like… Read more »
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judson added a link contribution Jesus Messiah: IntroductionIf you are a faithful reader of the Vessels of Mercy blog, you have probably noticed that I have not been writing much at all recently. In fact, other than just posting videos, my last written blog entry was way back on June 10, 2009. Needless to say, it’s been a while. With all the confusion of moving to Indiana combined with work, school, and being a husband/father, I just haven’t had time to really sit down and write. However, all of that is quickly changing. As you have probably already gat… Read more »
Oct 11
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judson added a link contribution Finding Wisdom in the Book of Ruth – Ruth 1:1-5This was a VERY HARD time for those in Israel. The economic status was down, due to the sins of Israel, which impacted generations – because Israel forget God and ignored spiritual leadership. It was a time when God and Wisdom was needed more than ever. “there was a famine in the land” To add salt to the wound of those living in Israel,they not only lived in very hard times but also a famine. Typically, when food has a sudden decrease in a geographic location, crime increases and people become… Read more »
Oct 8
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judson added a link contribution Finding Wisdom in the Book of Ruth – IntroductionI am beginning a Hybrid Study in my teaching and thought I would share my summaries here. It is focused on two old testament books, Ruth and Proverbs. I will be attempting to teach Ruth primarily and utilize the wisdom from Proverbs to apply Ruth’s principles. With that said, let us get started… Background & Context: Ruth is a Moabite woman who married a son of Elimelech, who became a widow, arrived in Bethlehem as a foreigner, became a maidservant, married a Bethlehemite – Boaz and ultim… Read more »
Oct 2
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judson added a link contribution Do We Have Free Will?Article by Andrew Naselli August 2009 Non-Christians and Christians alike often give the same answer to difficult questions like these: Why did God allow sin in the first place? Why does God save some people and not others? Why does God send people to hell? Why can living like a Christian be so frustrating? The immediate solution often suggested is simple: "free will." To many people, it's a satisfying answer: "Oh, that makes sense. Yeah, God does x because he has to preserv… Read more »
Sep 27
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judson added a link contribution VoM|POST: The Gospel Reloaded Part 2 - Don't Be ReligiousJoin Vessels of Mercy VoM|Posts - http://bit.ly/19VfUP Twitter - http://bit.ly/2jzl0v Facebook - http://bit.ly/1zH5MI Colossians 1:12-14 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Last time, I wrote about how people can hear the gospel and think it is stupid. You m… Read more »
Sep 12
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judson added a link contribution VoM|Jesus Messiah: John 1:1-3John 1:1-3 (ESV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. As John records his testimony of the person and work of Jesus Christ, he begins at the most reasonable point, namely, the beginning. John is explaining and defending the deity of Christ. In 1:1, as he defends his argument for Jesus’ deity, John makes 3 basic arguments.… Read more »
Sep 10
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judson added a link contribution Devotional Meditations: Philemon 18Philemon is a strange book isn’t it? All it is is a personal letter from Paul to his friend Philemon. In it Paul is requesting that Philemon will accept his former slave Onesimus. There doesn’t appear to be much application for us modern day Americans. None the less, I began reading this book a few days ago because it was on my reading plan. I found verse 18 to be an amazing challenge! “If he [Onesimus] has wronged you [Philemon] at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.” On… Read more »
Sep 8
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judson added a link contribution The Gospel Reloaded: Forgotten Prayer to GodColossians 1:12-14 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness,” First we must note, in this portion of the verse, we are focusing our our sinfulness prior to salvation. The Domain of darkness is a very interesting term. Th… Read more »
Sep 5
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judson added a link contribution Wisdom, Wives & Worship Part 6Prize Rachel and Rachel will exalt you It has been some time since I have posted on Proverbs 4. This is the final post, therefore, I hope this will help us find a “common thread” in our spiritual growth, spouse and worship. If I prize Rachel and “show her off” by putting her on a pedestal she will speak highly of me, because I am lifting her up and showing I find her valuable. If I don’t talk about her to other people and people don’t even know I am married then your wife will have no reason… Read more »
User Info
Name: Judson
User Since: April 2009
Location: Crown Point, IN
Website: vesselsofmercy.wordpre…
Contributions: 67
Tags: 146