Blog
Pastor Ray’s thoughts on issues in the church and contemporary culture.
What Is Exhortation?
The Biblical admonition to exhort one another cannot be described with a “one-size-fits-all” definition. It is a word that is defined by the context of when it is used. For an individual who is reeling under the cloud of despondency, it will take the form of being...
Pray For One Another
In the gospel of Luke chapter 11, the disciples said to Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (verse 1). Amen. Our next “one another” is found in James 5:16, and the admonition is to pray. In fact, there are seven references to prayer in James 5:13-18. Is any among us...
Forgive One Another
Most people in the body of Christ find the command to forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:13) the most challenging of all the one another scriptures. When we are hurt or wounded by others, our natural inclination is to “get even”. How are we to respond...
The Ministry Of Comfort And Edification
One of the best ways to crawl out of the dungeon of self-pity and the self-life is by reaching out to someone else with a word of comfort or encouragement.
Forbearing One Another In Love
You cannot be a “hermit Christian.” You cannot be a Christian with a “chip on your shoulder” or “an axe to grind.”
A Real Basket Case
We are all called to endure difficulties and forgo conveniences for the cause of Christ and to care for one another.
The Leaven Of Hypocrisy
When we compromise we agree to meet the world, the flesh, or the devil half way. You see, the devil loves half-hearted faith because his kingdom is not effected in the least by it. Compromise is extremely dangerous because it sends the wrong message to both the body...
Spiritual Gifts
Care must be exercised when we learn about the gifts of the Spirit in operation. A false balance concerning the gifts can result in “false advertising” with the result being frustration and questioning, “Why didn’t I get the baptism?” Saints, post-Pentecost records...
The Church, The Body Of Christ
The section of Scripture that we are looking at this morning is in many cases the most amazing description of the Church. We are the body of Christ. In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul likens those who have been born into the body of Christ to the human body....
Equality Before God
The church consists of individuals who have been plucked out of the fallen world system to belong to Jesus Christ. Though there may be earthly distinctions that are based upon one’s vocation, education or income, in the sight of Jesus Christ we are all equal and...
God-Ordained Order And Gender
Believe it or not, the subject of wearing head coverings in church is more practical than you think. Understand that the head covering for a woman, be it a shawl or some kind of a kerchief meant that the woman was submitting to the headship or covering of her husband....
The Local Body
The illustrations found in Scripture are so simple yet so profound. One such description is that of the local church, which is part of the body of Christ. Although communion symbolizes the body of Christ, each and every “born again” Christian, both individually and...
“The Lord Is At Hand”
To say that Jesus is coming soon is a phrase which is met with mixed reactions. For some, it is a blessed hope, but to others it is regarded as religious fanaticism. According to the holy Scriptures, the same Jesus who died on the cross for our sins, was buried, and...
Blessed Submission
One powerful principle in the kingdom of God is the principle of submission, which we see throughout Scripture. We see it taught in marriage, as it pertains to government, work, and in the local church. All Christians are called to live a life of submission in the...
The Need To Be A Berean
When Paul and Silas taught in the synagogue in Berea, the Scriptures tell us that the listeners received the word with all readiness of mind, but then they searched the Scriptures daily to see whether the things that were taught them were Biblically correct (Acts...
Clothed And Cared For
"Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time...
Fervent Faith
As we have been studying Jesus’ teaching on signs leading up to His return, I’m sure that we have been challenged to walk closer to Him. A word that is used in Scripture that could label the kind of faith needed for these last days is fervent. Paul tells the church at...
The Submissive Husband
By a ‘submissive husband’ I mean a husband who is submitted to the Lord Jesus Christ. When a person truly submits to Christ, he or she will be submissive to His Word. Thus, for a Christian couple to be submitted to God requires both husband and wife to be submissive...
The Foundation Of Submission In Marriage
Marriage, as designed by God and revealed in Scripture, is not a power struggle or the ‘Battle of the Sexes.’ The marriage union is a covenant relationship that is entered into by both a man and a woman in the sight of God. There are distinct role differences in a...
Seeing The Big Picture
Adversity is no stranger to any follower of Jesus Christ. Not only should we not be surprised by it, but we are told that it will be an inevitable part of our lives. By simply living the way God would have us live will result in persecution in some way, shape or form....
The Redeeming Love Of God
What is meant by the redeeming love of God? Simply this: That God in His love has chosen to forgive sinful man of their trespasses through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, made once and for all, for sin. The ‘motive’ (if I may use the word reverently) behind...
Family Life
The new birth places within each and every believer the ability to live and love like never before. The key that unlocks this revelation is God’s incorruptible Word. As we drink and chew on Scripture, we begin to understand how God intends for us to live. We see how...
Serving God Deceitfully
The norm today is that we will serve Jesus when it is convenient and time allows. We will attend to bible study and times of prayer personally and in the local church whenever we can fit them into our crammed schedules. When Jesus gets our leftovers instead of our first fruits, that is nothing less than dishonoring Christ as Lord God and serving Him deceitfully.
Priorities
How sad for us human beings that it often takes a tragedy to get our priorities right. Haven’t you found after some tragic event that things that you and I thought were very important have become insignificant? What is our purpose on earth? What is really important?...
Spiritual Warfare
There is a real personage known as the devil. His name means ‘Destruction’ (‘Abaddon’), or ‘Destroyer’ (‘Apollyon’). Jesus described him as a thief who comes ‘to steal, and to kill, and to destroy’. He also stated that the devil is a murderer and liar, and the father...
A Word of Reminder about the Company You Keep
1 Corinthians 5:7-11 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but...
Renewing Our Vows
In 2 Chronicles 15, the Spirit of God spoke through Azariah to King Asa about the need to cleanse the nation of its idols, and to return to a pure worship of the LORD. The promise was given that if Asa and all his countrymen would seek the Lord, He would be found of...
Reactions to Truth
Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Acts 7:54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their...
The Three-Fold Cord
Godly principles for marriage attack our selfishness to the core. The natural woman will not submit to her husband, nor the natural man die for his wife.
The Covenant Of Marriage
Every age of the Church has characteristics that reflect the influence of the world instead of, or in place of, the influence of God’s Word. Our age is the age of secularizing, or redefining, Biblical terminology. A prime example of this is the redefining of the...
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.