A Time to Be Renewed THE MASK OF HYPOCRISY

A hypocrite deliberately uses religion to cover up his sins and promote his own gains. The Greek word translated hypocrite originally meant “an actor who wears a mask.” The righteousness of the Pharisees was insincere and dishonest. They practiced their religion for the applause of men, not for the reward...

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A Time to Be Renewed THE BODY PRINCIPLE

What is true Christian dedication? For one thing, it means giving God your body. Before we trusted Christ we used our bodies for sinful pleasures and purposes, but now that we belong to Him we want to use our bodies for His glory. The Christian’s body is God’s temple because...

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A Time to Be Renewed LIVING IN THE FUTURE TENSE

Christians live in the future tense; their present actions and decisions are governed by the knowledge that they have a living, resurrected Saviour whom they will someday see. Just as an engaged couple makes all their plans in the light of that future wedding, so Christians should live with the...

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A Time to Be Renewed UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER

The word submit is a military term that means “get into your proper rank.” When a buck private acts like the general, there is going to be trouble! Unconditional surrender is the only way to complete victory. If there is any area of the life kept back from God, there...

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A Time to Be Renewed A WALKING MIRACLE

The church is a miracle. No amount of skill, talents, or programs can make the church what it ought to be. Only God can do that. If each believer is depending on the grace of God, walking in the love of God, and participating in the fellowship of the Spirit,...

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A Time to Be Renewed LOOK AHEAD

Throughout the Epistle to the Hebrews, the writer emphasized the importance of the future hope. His readers were prone to look back and want to go back, but he encouraged them to follow Christ’s example and look ahead by faith. The heroes of faith named in Hebrews 11 lived for...

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A Time to Be Renewed RESISTING THE TEMPER

God’s Word is one of the best tools for resisting temptation. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He used the Word of God to defeat him. Paul admonished believers to take “the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Ephesians 6:17) in their battle against Satan and...

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A Time to Be Renewed STUDY THE BANK BOOK

On January 6, 1822, the wife of a poor German pastor had a son, never dreaming that he would one day achieve world renown and great wealth. When Heinrich Schliemann was seven years old, a picture of ancient Troy in flames captured his imagination. Contrary to what many people believed,...

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A Time to Be Renewed TRUE WISDOM

What is the Christian’s wisdom? Does he look to the philosophies of this world? No! To begin with, Jesus Christ is our wisdom. In Jesus Christ “are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). The first step toward true wisdom is the receiving of Jesus Christ as...

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A Time to Be Renewed LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

Nowhere did the Law teach hatred for one’s enemies. For exam¬ple, Exodus 23:4 indicates just the opposite: “If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.” Jesus defined our enemies as those who curse us, hate us, and exploit...

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