by Pastor Ray Viola | May 23, 2024 | Contemporary Christianity
Isn’t it interesting how we can turn aside from the simplest commands into confusion? For example, the singular call of Jesus to His disciples is to “Follow Me.” Those words are a call from Jesus to come near to Him, and, in doing so, to learn from Him. In other...
by Pastor Ray Viola | May 15, 2024 | Contemporary Christianity
Stephen, the first Christian martyr, died because he took a stand for Jesus. His death wasn’t in vain. I believe that his demeanor at the time of his departure planted an indelible impression upon the mind and the heart of Saul of Tarsus, who would become the apostle...
by Pastor Ray Viola | May 9, 2024 | Contemporary Christianity
It truly frustrates me when I hear religious terms thrown around, but am left hanging as to what they are supposed to mean. One of those terms is “legalism”. Now, I can only give you my perspective of what legalism is. As I search the Scriptures, it appears to me that...
by Pastor Ray Viola | May 6, 2024 | Contemporary Christianity
No, this is not a new doctrine. This is more of a phenomenon. It’s kind of like the ‘strange vanishings’ published by Time-Life books. While I suspect those vanishings are myths and untrue, the ‘rupture’ of the church is sadly both real and true. All over our country,...
by Pastor Ray Viola | May 5, 2024 | Contemporary Christianity
A very fundamental principle of Biblical interpretation is that the meaning of a passage is determined by its immediate context. Today, there is a “Word of Faith” movement. Does the Bible refer to such a thing? It sure does. It can be found in Romans 10:8. In what...
by Pastor Ray Viola | May 4, 2024 | Contemporary Christianity
If we humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord, He will lift us up. One way that we humble ourselves is by fasting. David said, “I humbled my soul with fasting”. Our bodily appetites are so demanding. The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh is weak. Realizing the...