So You Want First Place?
October 26, 2023Today, my message is about selfishness and selflessness – two contrasting concepts that describe different ways of thinking and behaving and are in juxtaposition to each other. An important point is that neither selfishness nor selflessness is inherently good or bad. The context and intentions behind one’s actions play a crucial role in determining their…
Are you a Sheep or a Goat?
October 22, 2023“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, but the…
The Day of Atonement
October 18, 2023The first five books of the Christian Bible are also the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, in combination, are known in Hebrew as the Torah, and in Greek as the Pentateuch, and sometimes referred to as the “Five Books of Moses”. I lack…
Perilous Times
October 11, 2023I so want to talk about the events happening in Israel these past several days, but if you’re like me, you’ve been keeping up with it and are as sickened and saddened as I am. As I write this, I cannot help but have to wipe away the tears that I don’t seem able to…
Get behind Me, Satan!
October 8, 2023In Matthew 16:23, Jesus quite harshly rebukes Peter. I have read this many times over the years but for some reason, today it reached out to me, and I asked myself “am I being like Peter?” Do I understand what God’s purposes are and can I differentiate them from men’s. Jesus juxtaposes these two concepts,…
On the Road to a Better Me
October 7, 2023I don’t remember who said it, or when they said it, but what they said regarding the numbering of scripture passages, which often makes little sense, was that it was done by someone while riding a horse. The reality is only slightly different. The Bible texts were divided into chapters and verses to facilitate reference…
Misguided Appreciation
October 5, 2023I had wanted to title this message “there is such a thing as a stupid question”, but I decided that would be disrespectful. The following passage is from The Message, which is not so much of a translation but a paraphrasing or interpretation of scripture into modern English. It was authored by Eugene H. Peterson…
God Provided Two Trees
October 2, 2023What does it mean that “the failure of mankind is not recognizing that what God has provided is all mankind needs?” This phrase suggests that humans often fail to appreciate the blessings and resources that God has already given them, instead seeking more and more without realizing that they already have enough. We often hear…
Easter 2023: April 9th
March 29, 2023Good morning and thank you for staying for this Easter Sunrise Service. My name is John Rains and I am Pastor of Hope House Ministries, a ministry formed in 2001 as part of the Foursquare Gospel Church. Denominationally, I am a Pentecostal – I believe in the working of the Holy spirit – but I’m…