Pastor Eugene Smith

The Bible does not promise deliverance from ever being tested, but it does promise inexplicable joy when it happens. Jesus said the world would hate his disciples. Giving the right response serves the purpose of exhibiting the grace of God before an unbelieving but observing world. Through this means, God ploughs open the hearts of those who are resisting. For the sake of the lost, let us not waste our trials!

In response to his critics, Paul gives us amazing insight into the power behind his ministry, a minister of the new covenant in which the Holy Spirit takes the believer from glory to glory! What makes the new covenant so powerful is that it comes with the Spirit, something that did not accompany the giving of the law. What a difference this makes!

What distinguished God's people from the rest of the world? Is it not that His presence is among them? Follow this theme through the whole scripture, from the Garden of Eden to the tabernacle of Moses and Solomon's temple. But why hadn't the glory come to the rebuilt temple after the exile? When would it be manifest? Be blessed as you hunger for his presence both in your life and in the corporate expression of the people of God.

What will our new resurrection body be like when Jesus appears? In what ways is it the same as the body we have now? In what ways is it different? Salvation is not complete until death has been overturned at our resurrection!

How does the scripture describe eternity? The idea that the believer inherits that which is incorruptible sustained them when they suffered loss in this present world due to persecution. We can identify three terms that give an overall description of the eternal state for the believer: the Spirit, life and glory. Be encouraged as you meditate on the fullness of the destiny that awaits you!

There is a day coming that is the hope of every believer! God will complete that which he has begun in the believer, and will bring to fulfillment the purposes he has ordained for his Son! What a day that will be! Hear how the New Testament describes this glorious day and may you heart be filled with eager expectation!

This is part 2 of the message about the Last Days. The future has come forward in time in the gift of the Holy Spirit, whose responsibility is to lead us to our destiny. We are being prepared for the appearing of Christ!

What are the Last Days? When did they begin and when will they end? The two comings of the Lord are not separate independent events, but the inauguration and consummation of one event. Just as an engagement leads to a wedding, the first coming leads up to the second appearing. With the gift of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the end has begun. Now the Holy Spirit leads us to the end until that final and glorious appearing of Christ!

The God we serve is a God of hope. For the believer, hope is not wishful thinking. Biblical hope 'saves' us and sustains us during the testing of our faith. Hope makes us fully alive and fully energetic as we wait for the fulfillment of God's promises. Let hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing!

Jesus sent out his disciples to evangelize the whole world, but told them to tarry prior to going. The task he gave them was beyond any of their abilities. It would take a power far above and beyond anything they were capable of. The Holy Spirit is the key ingredient to outreach. For successful ministry, we need to be fully inundated with the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the key to taking the message of the kingdom of heaven to a hopelessly lost and dying world.

Once we repent and confess our sins to the Lord, what does he do with them? How does God regard them? Once we realize the depth to which God has put them away, how can we not praise him? We are exhorted to enjoy the fullness of the joy of being forgiven!

Why does God forgive us? How does this benefit the believer? It is powerful to know that through forgiveness, guilt is removed, we are delivered from being ruled by our past, we are made blameless, and God is glorified. Being forgiven is a powerful reality to experience! There is nothing in the world like it!

Who is it that sends us out on mission? Is it a distant and remote God or our heavenly Father? As we know God as a benevolent, merciful, kind and compassionate father, we are free to go out to those who are lost. Jesus knew that it was his Father that sent him, and it is the Father that also sends his disciples.

What does redemption look like? The scriptures give several illustrations that allow us to see the marvels of what Christ has done. Let's allow ourselves to be amazed at God's goodness!

Paul the apostle continued to keep pressing to know Christ further. What fuelled his intense desire, and caused him to turn his back on everything with which he was familiar? Let us hear the heart of this apostle so that our hearts may yearn to fully pursue the knowledge of Christ as well.

The short Book of Ruth is rich in many truths. God brings great good out of seeming darkness. God is the God of reversal. When God doesn't seem to be present, he is working in the background. But most of all, God is gracious beyond our comprehension. See how all these themes come together in the beautiful narrative found in the short Book of Ruth.

God is a forgiving God. Is there a part for man to play in order to receive God's gracious forgiveness? What is repentance and why is it important? Even when man can't bring himself around to repent of his own choice, God still gives repentance as a gift. How does God motivate us to do this?

Redemption is free for us, but it cost God more than we can ever imagine. What did it cost God to be true to his nature of forgiveness? It is beyond human comprehension, and we can only grow on awe and wonder at such a gracious God.

What is the greatest need of the human heart? Is it to be loved? To be accepted? Or to be forgiven? God's nature is to forgive. That is good news for humans whose hearts are perverse and twisted. But there is an answer that God has provided. Let's look at the heart that needs to experience divine forgiveness.

What an incredible joy it is to be forgiven! After all that David had done, how he had betrayed the goodness of God, committed adultery and murder, for which he should have been executed, David discovers that to be true before God is to experience the mercy and forgiveness of God! Unbelievable! This is the first in a series on the subject of forgiveness. Let us begin by learning of the incredible and unbelievable joy of being forgiven!