Revelation 3:7-13The Philadelphians, these people that Jesus said had a "little strength," were true to His word and true to His name. As they trusted and obeyed, they discovered He kept His promises to them in the midst of people who were antagonistic to followers of Christ.By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

Revelation 3:1-6The church at Sardis was a church with great reputation. They were known far and wide, and they were active, filled with activity, action, and programs, they were huge, some called it a mega-church because of its large fellowship. They are proud because of the success of their programs and activities. By the world’s standards they w…

Revelation 2:18-29“Jezebel” was teaching in Thyatira that sexual immorality was okay for Christians. Jesus had harsh words against that in this letter, and this is just what many are demanding today: that we accept their immoral, un-Biblical behavior just as it is, in the church, and not only tolerate it, but also approve of it, and consider them t…

Pergamus was the compromising church. The message we get as we read Jesus’ letter to this church is:“Don’t compromise your humility, your integrity nor your purity.By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18As we conclude our series on “Bad Words,” we look at what the Bible says about death.For the unbeliever, it is a bad word. For believers, although it has been turned into a word that no longer has the penalty of sin attached to it, if we are honest, it is still also a bad word and a sad word.…

Matthew 6:1-4 Every person, is appointed to die, after that the judgment. But, if you don't give your life to Christ, you'll be punished for every evil work you've done. If you give your life to Christ, He took your punishment for you, and you're actually going to be rewarded for every good work you've done. Even the word judgment becomes a good ne…

Sooner or later a couple is going to have a conflict. If conflict is handled in self-centeredness, conflict becomes a wedge; if handled in love, as the Lord desires, it become glue to the relationship.Two concepts to remember:1. The objective is to resolve the conflict, not win a fight.2. When one of you wins, you both lose!…

John 15:1-8All through the New Testament you can see that spiritual fruit is expected from the Christian life. Jesus tells us, “You shall know them by their fruit.”It is very important to note that the fruit the Lord expects in our lives is not the goal of the Christian, but the proof, or evidence of our abiding in Him.…

John 15:1-7Before you can abide in the Lord, draw life from Him and bear fruit, you have to be connected!By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

Luke 24:44-49Repentance is not a bad word. The Greek word we translate “repentance” means to “change your mind.The most important thing we must change our mind about is God.Once we change our mind about Him, and realize that He loves us and is for us, and we need Him, we’ll quit running an hiding from Him, and He will begin to change our hearts.…

John 3:16-21The Good News changes everything. The Good News takes all the bad news and filters it and changes it, so that all these words (condemnation, repentance, judgment, death) that were very, very bad news for us as sinners, all change because a Person, a Messenger, The Messenger came into this world, and brought the Good News!…

2 Chronicles 20:1-30We worry a lot about the “What-ifs” don’t we? When faced with a challenge or problem in life we can waste a lot of time on the ‘what-ifs.On Easter morning the two Marys realized they had a problem: “Who will roll away the stone for us? At the moment the question came up, they had 2 choices. They could just get on to the tomb and…

Mark 16:1-8 Many have grown up in the Christian faith, and believe God can, but when it comes to them, personally, they don't believe God will! They believe God might do it for somebody else, but don't believe God will do it for them. Maybe you've even heard about God doing really incredible things, but you just think God's going to do it "way over…

God is 100% LovingGod is 100% MercifulGod is 100% JustOnly one place that all three of these characteristics can come together to bring us into a forgiven state with God, and be brought into His Kingdom, and that place is the Cross.That’s why we sing, “What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.”…

David was very confident, not only about his present circumstances, but also that in the future God would see him all the way home. He believed that valley times were appointed for His good. He learned things about God that could be learned no other way than being in the deep ravines of life. He stayed close, trusted in God's protection and guidanc…

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” - Isaiah 41:10 Jesus tells us in Mark 10:15, “I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the Kingdom of God like a:.little child will never enter it. The way that a little child would…

I have discovered you can never enter the Kingdom of God by questioning God’s motives, existence, etc. Even though I live in the Kingdom, I can never prove it to you. The only way is to approach God like a little child, trusting and believing what He has revealed of Himself in His Word and through His followers down through the ages. As long as we …

Luke 9:23-27What greater sacrifice could you give this Lent than your self-centeredness?From what I read in the Bible, this is the greatest sacrificial gift you can give to the Lord.By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

Jonah 3:1-5, 10Mark Twain said: "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why."Both of those days are important to God, too. He needs you to be you right now.The answer to why you were born is something that a lot of people struggle with, and approach in a lot of different ways.If you are one of tho…

At this point in history, everything from social media and politics to cultural conflict has brought us to a time when we as Christians need to step back and consider our words, their power, how we have been using them and how we should be using them. Think about it. Everything you have said this week has either been life-giving or death-dealing, a…

When we think of “the wilderness” we think of remote, desolate places filled with loneliness and the unknown. In the Bible we see many go through times in the wilderness.As we look at the Bible accounts of people in the wilderness, we see first of all, that although they thought they were all alone, they were in the very presence of God. Next we se…

Genesis 12:1-4Just as God called Abraham, God calls you. It’s up to you to leave the things He calls you from and head out to the the places He wants to show you.As you answer His call, the promises of Abraham become yours.By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

God’s call to Abraham was to leave where he was and go where he would lead him. He had a wonderful plan for Abraham’s life. Wonderful promises were given to Abraham if he would do this.By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

The Question We Each Need To Ask Ourselves as this New Year Begins: “Am I Living A Life That Pleases God? Am I Living A Live Of Faith?”By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

Luke 4:16-21In Luke 4:16-21 Jesus reads from the Book of Isaiah written 700 years before, and declares that this Messianic prophecy is fulfilled in Him.To sum up the mission of His first advent, He has come to free us from our past, help us live in the present and look forward to the future.He came to give us a Fresh Start. What better time than th…

Jude 1:17-23 As you face all the things that are going on in the world today, make sure that your number one priority is to “keep yourselves in the love of God.” According to Jude, this is how you keep ourselves in the love of God: 1. building ourselves up in our most holy faith; 2. praying in the Holy Spirit; 3. waiting for Christ’s return.…

Jude 1:5-16 Jude says that false teachers are the rebels we read about in Scripture. They’re going to be judged. And they’re dangerous to us. That’s why Jude writes:“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 t…

The founder of Methodism, John Wesley held that The essentials of the faith are changeless. He shared this quote from St. Augustine which sums this all up pretty well:“In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.” Our founder held that there is a core, essentials of the faith that all believers hold in common. These essent…

It’s important that you know the distinction between the words Love, Mercy and Grace, because it you don’t, you can completely miss entering the Kingdom of God, and the eternal life God has in store for you.By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

Jude uses three words to identify the people he is addressing his letter to:“To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:…”Now these are the marks of a Christian, so this letter is written to you. These three attributes separate us from the world and bind us to God the Father through our Lord, Jesus Christ.…

Who is Jude? I love his explanation of who he is. He gives us his Personal Identity. He is Jude. He gives us his Spiritual Identity. He is a bond-servant of Jesus Christ. He gives us his Social Identity. He is the brother of James. I think the order he gives tells us a lot about him as well. Personal Identity, comes first, Spiritual Identity comes …

Matthew 15: 1-9"You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME." (Matthew 15:7-8) These past few years could be officially labeled the Era of Hypocrisy Revealed. As I have read one news account after another, the words of Numbers 32:33 have come to mind: “You have sinn…

Manipulating and controlling people – They’re all around us – In corporations, in politics, in the entertainment industry, in our schools, in our circles of friends, in our families, in our homes, and everywhere else. People all around us are attempting to control our lives. Some mean well, but still try to pull us from God’s will for our lives. Ot…

We know the Lord wants us to care for those who are in need, but with some people we find we must be careful to help without enabling. Sometimes this means that we must: 1. Give them what they need, instead of what they want. 2. Set healthy boundaries for ourselves and for them.3. Allow them to face their consequences.…

Criticism is something we all face. Some people mean well with their words while others mean to hurt us as much as they can. How we react is determined by how close we are walking with Jesus. Our normal, initial, prideful reactions to criticism usually come right from the flesh, and can cost us relationships, destroy our self-esteem, and give our e…

Luke 4:16-21Many see the transformed lives of Christians and assume that these outer trappings are what Christianity is, that Christianity is about being a good, honest, moral person.Sadly, they have missed what caused to change in the Christian, which is personally receiving the forgiveness, cleansing and renewal of life that Jesus gives to those …

Matthew 20:1-16Although it’s best to enter the Kingdom of Heaven early in life, it’s better to enter late than not at all.By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

Matthew 16:13-18, John 14:6 “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” - That revelation from God is what Jesus builds His church on. He isn’t building His church on love. He isn’t building His church on the right kind of worship service, or making a better world, or social activism or political activism, or popular preaching or preachers. Wh…

Job 2:11-13There are 3 vital ministries we can all give to those who are hurting no matter how inadequate we might feel. They are the ministry of Presence, Listening and Help.By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

Listen and WorshipHebrews 12:25-29As we wrap up our review of the Essentials of Christian Maturity, we close with the importance of listening to Him and worshiping Him.By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III

Hebrews 12:15-17Will you live for Jesus so that you can have the blessings and the birthright promised to you? Or will you live for yourself and throw away the blessings and the birthright that you could have enjoyed? How sad it will be when eternity comes and we are told that no one took eternity from us but that we simply threw it away! Do not be…

Matthew 7:24-27The Parable of the Two Foundations is actually Jesus’ concluding invitation to The Sermon on the Mount. He tells us that whoever hears His words and acts on them is wise, and whoever does not is foolish. He builds up to this conclusion by making it clear that there are two ways to choose from in life, a narrow one and a wide one. The…

Ephesians 5:21-33 As you seek to please God in your relationship, he’ll help you to do what you need to do. As a result, the positive aspects of Scriptural principles and spiritual laws will be unleashed in your life; relationships can be made right you never thought could be, or better than you ever imagined they could be.…

John 14:15-17In the movie “Princess Bride, every time Princess Buttercup tells Westley to do something, he says, “As you wish,” and then he does it. The grandfather telling the story to his grandson tells his grandson that every time Westley says, “As you wish,”what he is really saying is, “I love you.” Notice that every time Westley says, “As you …

James 1:19-25God made each one of us unique, and we’re not going to all see things the same way, have the same background, etc.Imagine how dull things would be if we were all exactly the same.Because of this, disagreements and conflicts will arise.Christians should handle conflict in the right way.Two concepts to remember:1. the objective should be…

In Matthew 5:21-24, Jesus tells us that unrighteous anger is just as sinful as murder. In Ephesians 4:22-32 we see that anger is mentioned as something that must be handled rightly in our conduct and also in our relationships. Sandwiched between admonishments to holiness in living and wholeness in our relationships is the warning to not grieve the …

Matthew 5:21-26 Our world is littered with broken relationships. We have them in our families between husbands and wives, parents and children. We face them between employers and employees, with neighbors, different ethnic and social groups, between nations. The Bible gives us specific steps that bring healing to our personal relationship with God,…

Matthew 6:12 It’s clear that one of the things that is definitely at the top of the list of what God wants from us is to be forgiving. Let’s face it, whether it's a spouse who was unfaithful, a parent who let you down as a child, a friend who shared something told in confidence, or some other harm, we all at one time or another must deal with wheth…

Genesis 22:1-14 God put Abraham’s faith to the test, and he passed! He made himself instantly available to the Lord, acted without hesitation when the Lord gave him an assignment, ant trusted the Lord with his entire being and will. We will never become mature in our faith until it mirrors Abraham’s.…

Hebrews 12:14-17Instead of bitterness, pass on betterness.By Rev. Joel D. McMahon III