Blog
Pastor Ray’s thoughts on issues in the church and contemporary culture.
A Response to My Blog Post
I thought I would share this reply to a blog I wrote last week. Hope it blesses you. Thank you for all the prayers and encouragement. Pastor Ray Dear Pastor Ray, Supersessionism, dispensationalism, Calvinism, Arminianism, cessationism, continuationism, etc. etc. etc....
An Example of True Devotion and Giving
1 Samuel 16:7b ...for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. We are presented with a study of contrasts in Mark 12:35-44. Jesus’ question about His identity stands in contrast with the “loop hole”...
The Spirit of Pentecost
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every...
Evangelize, don't proselytize
Romans 16.25-27 Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the...
Anointing, not eloquence
1 Corinthians 2.1-5 And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness,...
Being Holy, Not Hip
And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them...
Form of Godliness, but void of power
2 Timothy 3.8 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof. This statement made by Paul follows a blistering portion of Scriptures that are descriptive of the DNA of fallen man in the last days. The last days, of course, is a description of the time from...
In God We Trust
On the back of the $1 bill that I have in my wallet (that’s the currency that I see the most of!), I read the phrase, “In God We Trust”. In our study today, we look at the believer’s responsibility towards their government (Romans 13:1-7). Obviously, since the middle...
Worship God, not Worship
Psalms 81.9,10 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god. I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. I have come to a belief that one of the strangest "gods"...
Sing and Speak of His Wondrous Works
1 Chronicles 16:9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. David is exhorting us to sing unto The Lord and talk about His wondrous works. Singing to The Lord and talking about His wondrous, extraordinary works are spiritual twins of a...
The King is Coming!
Matthew 24:29,30 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in...
Untitled Servants….The Glory of Christ
2 Corinthians 8:18 And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches; 2 Corinthians 8:23 Whether any do inquire of Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you: or our brethren be inquired of, they are the...
Commitment
Nehemiah 10.38,39 And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. For the children of Israel and the...
Hear, O Israel!
One of the mysteries in the New Testament is the mystery of the present day spiritual blindness of the nation of Israel (Romans 11:25). While many Jewish people are coming to the saving knowledge of Yeshua as their Messiah (Romans 11:1), by and large the Jewish people...
Fighting together
2 Samuel 10.11 And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me: but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will come and help thee. 12 Be of good courage, and let us play the men for our people, and for the cities of our God:...
Godward Investments
1 Timothy 6.17-19 Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to...
I Make All Things New
Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. For those who have come to Christ for salvation, these words: “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there...
In Hard Times, Don’t Harden
The times that you and I live in are indeed quite perplexing. “Distress of nations with perplexity” could be the front page headline of any paper on any newsstand. The “ripple effect” of sin has affected our planet’s morals and economy as well. These days are indeed...
The Fruit Of Love – Refreshment
Thomas A’Kempis once said, “I’d rather be able to demonstrate love than know how to define it.” Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that you are My disciples, if you have love one to another.” When agape love is truly working in our lives, its effect within the...
Mourning, The Path To Divine Comfort
To the natural man, the words “mourning” and “comfort” do not even belong in the same library. But the Scriptures tell us they belong together. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are...
Fellowship In The Gospel
This morning we are talking about the importance of fellowship. First of all, what does the word fellowship mean? The English word “fellowship” is a translation of the Greek word koinonia. The exact definition of that word according to Strongs concordance reads as...
What’s in Your Heart?
Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: When the prophet Samuel went to the...
Keep Thyself Pure
1 Timothy 5:22 …keep thyself pure. Those words were spoken by the apostle Paul to Timothy, his son in the faith of Jesus Christ. The word pure means to be innocent, clean, holy, sincere, free of defilement or impurity. Jesus tells us that the source of defilement or...
Purity, not Promiscuity
1 Timothy 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Paul exhorted Timothy to be an example of the believer in purity. When he wrote to the church in Thessalonica...
What are YOU doing Sunday?
Hebrews 10.25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. God has ordained The Lords Day as a day to honor Him, hear His word and reflect on His...
Nye-Ham evolution debate – Afterthoughts
I promise not to drag this debate topic out after today, but I cannot avoid making a few observations in light of the numerous exchanges between people, both Christian nod non-Christian, on various social media sites. As a Christian, the bible tells me that the...
Thoughts on the Bill Nye-Ken Ham evolution debate
As I was watching the much anticipated debate between Bill Nye and Ken Ham, I found myself feeling compassion for Mr. Nye. There was no question in my mind where I stood on the issue as a Christian before the debate began, but I wanted to hear a recognized proponent...
Thoughts from a recent Lord's Supper Message
1Cor 11.24-26 "For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat:this is my body, which is broken for you:this do...
Keeping Our Eyes On Jesus
As we work our way through this “dealing with differences” chapter of Romans 14, one of the things that is not in the text, but that I am most assuredly reminded of, is my need to keep my eyes on The Lord. I realize that every time I put any human being on a pedestal...
Dealing With Differences
How do we deal with matters of differing convictions on non-salvation issues within the body of Christ? Before we even go there, we must make it very clear that there is no room for discussion when it comes to essential doctrines like the nature of God, or the deity...
About Me
I am the Lead Pastor of Koinonia Fellowship, a husband, father and grandfather. I also serve on the worship team as one of the drummers.