Growing In Godliness Blog
Repent, For the Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand
Friday, February 14, 2025Repent, For the Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand
By Paul Earnhart
After Jesus made the journey to Judea where he met Nicodemus and preached and baptized with great success, He returned to Galilee where He had grown up. And Matthew 4:17 reports that “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” This was precisely what John the Baptist had been preaching in the wilderness, Matthew 3:1-2.
This message of Jesus (and of John) gives us a clue as to the kind of kingdom that was to be established. The Jews were expecting an earthly political kingdom. At the time, they were under the domination of Rome. They hoped that the Messiah would overthrow the Roman government and establish Jerusalem as the capital of the world. If this had been the kind of kingdom to be established, Jesus and John would have said, “Arm yourselves, learn to use your weapons, get yourselves into condition, for the battle will soon begin to establish the kingdom of God among men.” But this was not what Jesus said.
Rather, Jesus and John said REPENT. The kingdom was to be a kingdom of righteousness. It was to be made up of individuals who had left the service of Satan to yield themselves completely to the authority of God. This required a change of heart, and that’s what repentance is. This was the reason Jesus told Nicodemus that he would have to be born again to enter the kingdom, John 3:3-5. He would have to be changed within and without.
Many people today express an interest in the kingdom of God. Their attention, however, is riveted on the Near East and the political and military events that take place there. That’s the wrong place for our concerns to be centered. Our concern must be with our own hearts—getting them right with God through repentance. We must be born again. That is the condition of our acceptance into the kingdom. That is where the kingdom must exist—within us!
Psalm 107: A Celebration of God’s Steadfast Love
Friday, February 07, 2025Psalm 107: A Celebration of God’s Steadfast Love
By Boyd Hurst
Psalm 107 beautifully captures the unchanging love and mercy of God through vivid stories of deliverance. It begins with a universal call to gratitude: "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 107:1). The psalm then highlights four scenarios where individuals cried out to God and were rescued, illustrating His faithfulness.
The Four Stories of Redemption:
1. Wanderers in the Desert (Psalm 107:4-9): Lost and desperate, they found no city to dwell in, hungering and thirsting until they cried out, "Lord, help!" God led them to safety and satisfied their longing souls with goodness.
2. Rebels in Chains (Psalm 107:10-16): Those who rejected God’s counsel suffered affliction, they were chained and overwhelmed. When they cried for help, God shattered their chains, delivering them from the shadow of death.
3. The Foolish and Sick (Psalm 107:17-22): Stricken by their own sins and near death, they cried out to the Lord. He sent His word to heal and rescue them, calling them to rejoice and offer thanksgiving.
4. Seafarers in the Storm (Psalm 107:23-32): Sailors facing a storm's fury were at their wits' end. They too cried out, and God calmed the sea, guiding them to a safe harbor.
A Call to Reflect:
Psalm 107 emphasizes the power of crying out to God in times of trouble. Each rescued group was called to give thanks for His goodness and wondrous works. The psalm also emphasizes how God blesses the righteous and condemns the wicked. It ends with a profound challenge: "Whoever is wise will observe these things, and they will understand the lovingkindness of the Lord" (Psalm 107:43).
This psalm reminds us that no matter the situation, God's mercy is always near, ready to restore and renew those who turn to Him. Let us give thanks for His enduring love!
Preaching in Samaria
Friday, January 31, 2025Preaching in Samaria
By Paul Earnhart
Jesus had a powerful influence on the Samaritan woman whom He met at a well-side. We read of this in John chapter 4 (John 4:5-42). When He first began talking to her, she was so concerned with her task of drawing the water from the well that she was not interested at all in the spiritual water He offered her. But after Jesus had talked to her for a few minutes, after He had demonstrated His supernatural knowledge of her life and had revealed Himself to her as the Messiah, she forgot all about her water pots and went running into the city, saying to her friends: "Come, see a man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?" (John 4:29)
One of the greatest hindrances to true faith in Christ is our preoccupation with material things. We are so busy making a living, providing for our families, looking for a bigger house, trading cars, attending concerts, going to ball games, hunting and fishing, and on and on. And the result is that we just don't have time for Bible study and prayer and Christian service and attendance to worship. We are just too busy.
It is altogether to the credit of this woman that even after Jesus had reminded her of her sinful life, she allowed Him to talk to her. She considered the evidence that He was the Messiah and once she had come to believe in Him, she undertook to share that faith with others. Like Andrew and Philip (John 1:40-46), she did not try to convince them herself; she brought them to Jesus that they might reach their own conclusions.
And the result was remarkable. After they had spent time with Jesus, "They said to the woman, 'Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world'" (John 4:42). Jesus is His own best witness. Let us take the time to know Him ourselves; then let us take others to the Scriptures that they may see Him for themselves and know that He is the Christ.
The Woman At The Well
Friday, January 24, 2025The Woman At The Well
By Paul Earnhart
We read in John chapter 4 beginning at verse 5 that as Jesus was passing through Samaria, He sat down wearily by a well while His disciples went to buy food (Jn. 4:5-6). A Samaritan woman came to draw water and was surprised when Jesus asked for a drink. Jesus told her that if she had asked, He would have given her living water (Jn. 4:10). He was speaking of the spiritual refreshment which He could provide. But her mind was so much on the water and the well that she could not think of spiritual water at all.
So, Jesus changed his approach. He asked her to go and call her husband (Jn. 4:16). This was His way of getting her to examine her own spiritual condition. Jesus knew that she had had five husbands, and at that time she was living with a man who was not her husband (Jn. 4:17-18). It is interesting that she immediately changed the subject. She did not want to talk about her sins; so, she brought up an old question about the proper place to worship (Jn. 4:19-20).
Many people today are happy to talk about religion so long as it does not get into their personal lives. They like to talk about such things as where Cain got his wife, or about Jonah and the whale. They might even be willing to discuss their own religious experience and tell you about their church preference. But if we should meet Jesus today as that woman met him, I am sure He would ask about our personal lives... how we are living before God.
What would you say if Jesus asked you about your husband, or your wife? Are you living with someone who is not your spouse? What would you say if He asked you how you make and spend your money? What would you say if He asked about your favorite recreation and entertainment? Would you feel comfortable talking to Jesus about these things? Whether you talked to Him about them or not, He knows. He knew that Samaritan woman's condition without her telling Him. And before He can save you, you must face up to your condition and repent of your sins. No amount of religion can save you without a complete change of life to bring it into harmony with God's will (Lk 13:1-5; Acts 2:37-38)).
The Barren Will Be Blessed
Friday, January 17, 2025The Barren Will Be Blessed
By Tarah Matthews
In the beginning pages of scripture, we find Abram and his wife Sarai. God makes a promise to Abram that He will use him and his family tree to bring about a great nation, eventually producing the Messiah who would come and rescue the people from the curse of Genesis chapter 3 (Genesis 12:1-3). There’s just one problem: barrenness. Yes, the one who is supposed to have descendants that outnumber the stars has a wife that is unable to physically produce offspring (Genesis 15:1-5; 16:1; 17:17-19).
Sarah isn’t the only one who experiences the pain of barrenness. Rebekah (Genesis 25:21), Rachel (Genesis 30:1-2, 22-24), Samson’s mother (Judges 13:2-3, 24), the Hebrew midwives (Exodus 1:15-21), Hannah (1 Samuel 1:2, 10-11, 19-20), the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:12-17), and Elizabeth (Luke 1:7, 24-25) are all mentioned in scripture as those who, at one point, inexplicably lacked the blessing of children. There was no life coming from their wombs. For all intents and purposes, their wombs were dead.
For many years, I experienced the same pain and heartache as these women. As someone diagnosed with “unexplained infertility”, I knew all too well the vicious cycle of hope and disappointment that came with each month that passed. Months turned into years, and during those years, I’d feel more and more bitter when reading of the barren women in scripture. I couldn’t understand why they were eventually rewarded with children, and I was still in pain. Weren’t their stories recorded to give me hope? Weren’t they there to teach me that my patience will be rewarded? What was I missing? The life application I’d created from these stories just wasn’t panning out, and I was losing hope. I was starting to wonder if God was punishing me - starting to believe maybe God wasn’t really good to everyone.
Then I realized the flaw in my thinking. The experiences of these women weren’t about me and my experience, they were about God. These stories are a part of scripture to tell us who God is - a God who brings life from that which was dead. These are resurrection stories - a preview of things to come - and the Bible is full of them.
- In the beginning, the earth was void and filled with darkness. From nothing, God brought forth life (Genesis 1:2, 29-31). Resurrection.
- Everything on the earth was destroyed in the flood except Noah and his family. From them, God gave mankind a new beginning (Genesis 7:23; 8:15-19). Resurrection.
- Sarah was barren and her womb was completely shut. God gave her the son He had promised (Genesis 21:1-2). Resurrection.
- The Israelites were slaves in Egypt. God delivered them through the waters of the Red Sea (Exodus 14:27-31). Resurrection.
- The Israelites were exiled and enslaved in foreign lands - presented as a valley of dry bones to the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 37:1-13). God brought those dry bones back to life and restored Israel. Resurrection.
- Jesus was arrested, crucified, and laid in a tomb. After three days, God raised Him to life (Matthew 28:1-6). Resurrection.
- We are dead in our sins. Baptism plunges us into the grave and we are raised to a new life in Christ (Romans 6:3-6). Resurrection.
If you are experiencing barrenness in your life and are desperately searching for relief, just know that no matter what happens in this life on earth, God is good and He keeps His promises. When Jesus returns, God will bring life from death once and for all, and the faithful barren will be blessed.