Blog
Pastor Ray’s thoughts on issues in the church and contemporary culture.
Who Is Running This Planet?
There are always divine strings attached between the purposes of God and the affairs of men on earth. Sin is insane, and our planet has gone mad. At the end of the day, our only refuge is in the fact that God rules. He is neither Democrat nor Republican or Libertarian.
Excuses
I'm convinced more than ever that Satan's fuel in the believer's life is excuses. Now that might seem a bit harsh at first but think this through with me. Proverbs 26:13 talks about making excuses. The individual here mentions the presence of a lion in the street...
God's Water Supply for His People
The Spirit of God, like a river of life, flows continually towards us in these perilous times. No enemy or act of Congress can cut off this stream of living water from the body of Christ.
Continue in the Faith
Do not swerve from reading, preaching and living out the Scriptures. Do not follow the winds of doctrine or current spiritual trends that blow in and out of the church.
Harmless as Doves
God commands His children to be sheep in the midst of wolves, as people who are harmless as doves. But when sheep and doves are anointed by The Spirit of God and speaking the truth in love, they are considered to be a threat to fallen man’s ways of thinking and living.
Christian Bullies
Christian bullies are assisting the devil in devouring their brothers and sisters whenever they launch out with unkind or unloving words or actions.
True Encounters with God
If the church is going to do the work that Christ has called us to do and if the church is going to be holy as our God is holy, then the church will need a true encounter with The Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, show us your glory! Let us not be content reading about it.
The Litmus Test for Giving
It is not possible to give anything to God for the simple reason that God owns everything. It is also not possible to deceive God. The Lord knows exactly who is giving willingly out of true devotion to Him and who is giving just to be seen by others.
The Proper Focus
With so many evangelical voices today, it can become quite confusing in determining how God intends me to respond. We have (and deeply need) ministries that zero in on families, prayer, singles, prisons, the unsaved, discipleship, and so forth. Each one is indeed both...
The Faith To Stand Alone
Jesus Christ has set before us two invitations in Scripture. The first is the call to salvation, Come to Me. The objective of God the Holy Ghost is to make you and me disciples of Jesus Christ. We are to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, imitate Him, think like Him. If we...
Repentance and Rehabilitation
We are a drug addicted society. Drug addiction is a scourge that is affecting millions of Americans. Is this a medical issue, or a sin issue?
Responding To God – Not Reacting To Current Events
Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old times by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. We Christians certainly live in very exciting times. The...
Get Excited!
I was reading Colossians 3:2 and, as is so often the case when I study the Scriptures, I ran across an interesting translation of this verse. The King James Version reads, Set your affection on things above. However, the Greek meaning in a literal sense is to interest...
The Weapons of Thanksgiving and Praise
Life can be gloomy and downright depressing at times. When our bodies are racked with pain. When our souls are drained because of tears shed for wayward children. When the nightly news is one sad story after another.
His Yoke Destroys Bondage
Through the blood of Christ, we have been delivered from yokes of religion, sin and bondage.
The Mary Doctrine
Why pray to Mary when you can go right to Jesus? Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it? Sadly for some, tradition has made the work of God of no effect. Religious traditions have a way of mesmerizing their adherents. For example, in the Catholic church Mary is elevated...
Christ – The Only Rock
God created music to glorify Him. Music is a gift from God and can minister to us in the form of “psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs”.
O Jerusalem!
The prophet Daniel (in chapter nine), when praying for the restoration of his people after years of captivity, acknowledges the true owner of the city Jerusalem in verse. Jerusalem is God's city and is a key piece of Bible prophecy. The first coming of Jesus Christ...
Impressions
It’s sad to see the people of God “in awe” of those who are highly esteemed in any field, yet ungodly.
Religious Freedom
I get concerned whenever there is any movement for religious freedom under the umbrella of a secular government. Will fighting for constitutional rights really grant to born-again Christians religious freedom? Yes, we should do all that we can within the system to...
Sterilizing The Gospel
Do you recall when the scribes and Pharisees murmured against the Lord and His disciples because they ate with publicans and sinners? In those days publicans were the notoriously wicked tax collectors. They were looked down upon with such disdain that if a Pharisee’s...
Can the Church Implode?
The supreme commandment of Jesus is that we love one another, but Satan works within the hearts and walls of the church to bite, devour, divide, and destroy.
Peace in a Troubled World
Our world is like a ticking time bomb. ISIS, financial instability, disturbing physical conditions that are confounding the best medical minds in the world. Racial tensions and anti-Semitism are on the rise. To live for and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ is to be labeled as using hate speech and is not politically correct.
Convenient Christianity
Christianity is not a religion of convenience by any means. And yet, as indicated in the Scriptures, human nature finds it so easy to excuse itself from doing the Lord’s work., I’m amazed at the excuses that keep people from regular Sunday services, mid-week studies,...
Togetherness
Fellowship is not an option; we are commanded to assemble together. Maybe it’s time to get out of the pew and into the action.
Expectations
A very common error exists within the church. It is the error of placing divine expectations upon one another. Whenever we place sinless, flawless expectations upon any human being, we are setting ourselves up for disappointment and that individual for a fall.
Grow Up!
Growing in Christ is an ongoing process. Nobody ever arrives in this life. But when a Christian begins to grow up in The Lord, they put away childish behavior.
The Tears of Jesus
I believe that Jesus is weeping over our nation today. I do not believe that Jesus relishes the pain and sorrow caused by rebellion and sin against His Father.
Discipleship Is Costly
It appears to me that much of contemporary Christianity and ministry is more like a religious emporium where marketing strategies and fancy websites and sound bites are being used by ministries to build “their church” rather than promote The Lord and glorify Him. True giving and service unto The Lord is always measured by the amount of selfless sacrifice that is made.
Religious franchise or family of God?
Mark 9:37-41 Whosoever shall receive one of such children in my name, receiveth me: and whosoever shall receive me, receiveth not me, but him that sent me. And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and...
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.