The Stickman's Understanding...

  17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. 18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled -Matthew 5 Good morning and happy hump day to you! Recently, I read a story about a man who claimed faith in Christ while openly living as a practicing homosexual. He questioned how a loving God could condemn him and insisted that his behavior wasn’t addressed in the New Testament because Christ supposedly removed the requirements of the law. I realize this subject can be difficult for many, especially when some try to defend their choices by setting aside what they believe to be obvious truth. They often work hard to convince those who are still unsure, even though their viewpoint is built on falsehoods. Yet in the passage referenced, Jesus affirms that the commands found in Leviticus still carry weight, and nothing in His teaching suggest...

  18And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus.  19But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.  20For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. -Acts 4 Good morning and tremendous Tuesday to you! In today’s climate, there is a growing sentiment that Christians should remain unheard. Both cultural pressures and, at times, voices within the church encourage believers to stay quiet or simply blend in. In the passages referenced, Peter and John stand before the Sanhedrin. The council didn’t forbid their ministry altogether, but it attempted to stop them from speaking in Jesus’ name. As disciples of Christ, we cannot give in to the temptation to stay silent about what is right. Some church leaders have begun to yield to cultural expectations, urging others to follow suit. There is a noticeable push to divide faith fro...

  13 For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. -Gal 5 Good morning and happy Monday to you! The longer you follow Christ, the more you come to understand that some things once viewed as sinful aren’t inherently wrong in themselves. Beyond what Scripture clearly identifies as sin, there are practices that can become harmful when they begin to pull us away from a sincere walk with Him. What becomes sinful is excess—leaning too heavily on these things, or acting without regard for those around us, especially individuals vulnerable to addiction. We should never gain at the expense of someone else’s pain, as doing so misuses the freedom we’ve been given. First Corinthians 8 teaches us to avoid placing obstacles in the path of new believers or anyone moving toward faith. Our actions should always take into account how they may influence those still growing in their spiritual maturity. #prayf...

Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. -Exodus 20:16 Good morning and TGIF! The straightforward nature of this commandment can sometimes cause its depth to be overlooked. At its simplest level, it speaks against falsehood. We live in an age where many feel pressured to affirm identities or ideas that do not reflect reality. Identity is significant—it involves both who a person is and who they present themselves to be. These two should remain consistent. Supporting someone in a belief that is untrue misleads them and can have serious, even eternal, implications. Our calling is to uphold truth, even in a culture clouded by confusion and deception. If someone insisted they were a puppy, you wouldn’t set out food and water bowls. If someone claimed to be a speed bump, you wouldn’t run over them. Instead, you would lovingly guide them toward what is real, choosing not to reinforce what isn’t. Go fellowship this weekend, we all need it.  #prayforthepeaceofIsrael God ble...

  And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. -Job 1:21 Good morning and terrific Thursday to you!  Adversity doesn’t shape you nearly as much as the way you choose to respond to it. Your reaction determines both its influence and its outcome. Consider the familiar illustration of the potato, the egg, and the coffee bean. Each encounters the same challenge—boiling water. The potato begins firm and unyielding, yet the heat eventually softens it until it becomes easily mashed. The egg enters with a delicate shell and a fragile interior, but under pressure it hardens within, becoming tougher and more resilient. The coffee bean, however, takes a different approach. Though solid at first, it doesn’t allow the water to transform it. Instead, it transforms the water, infusing it until the environment reflects its essence. In the same way, we shouldn’t meet adversity wit...

  Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. -John 15:2 Good morning and tremendous Tuesday to you! Many are not as connected as they think or need to be. We are branches and as branches we need the vine and the vine needs ground; good soil.  The Lord teaches us in the scripture above that just because you are a branch doesn’t mean that you are living. You can be attached but not connected.  You can take glue, screws, Velcro and a number of things to attach a dying branch but if it is not ingrafted    it will not receive from the vine, and it will surely die. Any method that does not ingraft into the path the flow, of what is needed then you at the most would get residual if anything at all.  Even a parasite aligns itself with flow because it knows to not do so means starvation and eventual death. Beloved, get ingrafted with the true, stay ingrafted, and y...