Mark H. Stevens, Th.D's Blog (528)

Gather at The foot of The Cross

The saints of God must gather at the foot of the cross of Jesus. The Word of God must be all of our training manuals. Salvation by grace through faith is what caused Martin Luther to start the first reformation, we have departed from this in a great way. The doctrine of salvation through grace and faith has to be the preeminent prime directive for the church. Paul said it best in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on January 31, 2010 at 5:41pm — No Comments

How Paul Financed The Church

Worldliness in the Church today is not looked upon as shameful, but rather as being chic. Power, wealth, and notoriety are not things to be repented of, but are rather to be lusted after and pursued with great vigor. Young aspiring ministers are not thought to be vain or ambitious when seeking worldliness, but are rather thought of as being enthusiastic for the work of the Lord. Let’s see how Paul did things.

"For yourselves know how you ought to follow us: for we behaved not… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on January 13, 2010 at 11:35am — No Comments

Salvation is God's Work

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on January 7, 2010 at 6:25pm — No Comments

Jay-Z's Attack on Christianity

By Mona Austin

“Christ can’t save you and life won’t begin until Christianity ends.” Those are the blasphemous lyrics in the hit Jay Z (Jigga) song “Empire State of Mind” featuring Alica Keys.

The rap icon is known as the king of the double entendre, but these lyrics only mean one thing—Jesus means nothing to Jigga.

In the tradition of the 5%’ers (a belief system influenced by the Nation of Islam), Jay Zi sn’t the only artist to have used Hip Hop to assault… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on December 12, 2009 at 6:59am — 1 Comment

Time to Go to Judah

I Samuel 22:1 "David therefore

departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his

brethren and his entire father's house heard [it], they went down thither

to him."

This cave was a natural hiding place for David. It was large

enough to safely house a few hundred people. There were many caves in

this area. This was not the largest, but it was large enough to give

them safe haven from their enemies. It appears that, his father… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on December 12, 2009 at 6:49am — No Comments

Word for Today

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on December 6, 2009 at 8:22pm — No Comments

Does Your church Do These Things?

1. Manipulating people into financial giving by quoting un-Biblical formulas i.e. if you give a certain amount of money, you will receive a 100 fold (highest possible) blessing.

2. Money lines i.e. people are placed into lines in front of the

church based on the amount of money they gave ($25, $50, $100) and

certain blessings are pronounced on these individuals with of course

the highest monetary givers receiving the largest… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on December 5, 2009 at 7:34am — 1 Comment

What Was Jesus Mission While Here on Earth?

To reveal the Father (Matt. 11:27) "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."

To be a ransom for many (Matt. 20:28)

"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

To serve (Matt. 20:28)

"just as the Son of Man did not come to be…

Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on December 4, 2009 at 5:30pm — No Comments

What Does a Chaplain Do?

What is a Chaplain?

A chaplain is usually a person who is an ordained minister who has been commissioned by their religious faith group to minister in an institution, organization, or governmental agency. Chaplains have additional training for the specialized setting in which they work and are certified by an agency or organization that sets standards for their professional competence. The first chaplains were appointed for personal ministry… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on December 4, 2009 at 1:16am — No Comments

New Testament Giving

The New Testament teachings on giving are unpretentiously simplistic involving the heart and not some law:

"…freely ye have received, freely give" (Matt. 10:8b).

"Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow of you turn not thou away" (Matt. 5:42).

"The churches in Macedonia and Achaia, you see, have thought it a good thing to make a contribution towards the poor Christians in Jerusalem. They have decided to do this, and indeed they owe it to them.… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on December 2, 2009 at 2:44pm — 1 Comment

How to Spot a False Teacher

1. False teachers are proud. They are concerned for their own popularity. They are concerned for their own fame. They are concerned for their own notoriety. They are concerned for their own prestige. They’re concerned to see themselves and hear themselves in the public eye. They want large crowds, as it were, to bow down in great homage to them. They’re characterized by pride and they will do anything to gain the ground they need to gain for the welfare of their own personal ego, including any… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on December 1, 2009 at 10:58am — No Comments

When God Hides His Face (A Review)

A Healing Balm To Suffering Souls Everywhere, December 18, 2008

By Apex Reviews (Durham, NC USA) - See all my reviews

We've all been there before: a grandparent dies suddenly of an illness you never knew she had...a friend's life is cut tragically short by a terrible car accident, and you never got the chance to say goodbye...or, without warning, even you have lost a job, a home, or something else of value to you, and you have no idea how to handle the pain and confusion that… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on November 28, 2009 at 1:27pm — No Comments

Justification and Sanctification...in THAT order!

Understanding the difference between justification and sanctification can be as important as understanding the difference between salvation and damnation. Rightly dividing between the two is of crucial importance. When you understand what they are, you can then draw a line in the sand and say, "This is what saves. This is not what saves."

Justification is the work of God where the righteousness of Jesus is reckoned to the sinner so the sinner is… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on November 27, 2009 at 9:27pm — No Comments

How to Clean Your House

The Bible discusses the importance of removing "detestable" objects from our homes in several passages. For example, God told the Israelites, "Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction "(Deuteronomy 7: 26). God repeated this warning in several other scriptures: 2 Kings 23:24; Deuteronomy 13:17; Joshua 6:18; Joshua 7:1. These… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on November 27, 2009 at 8:13pm — No Comments

PLEASE Read your Bible!

False teachers want us to think that all tithes were formerly taken to the Temple and should now be taken to the "church storehouse” building.

Nehemiah 10:37b and Second Chronicles 31:15-19 make it clear that the people were to bring the tithes to the Levitical cities where 98% of the Levites and priests needed them for food (also Num 18:21-24). And Nehemiah 10:38 makes it clear that normally only Levites and priests had the task of… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on November 25, 2009 at 3:19pm — No Comments

My Deliverance from Martial Arts

I have loved Martial Arts since i was old enough to through a side kick. I used to cut classes to see Bruce Lee movies when I was in High School in Richmond, Va.. I started taking Judo when I was 10 years old and I later took Shotokan while stationed at Dover, AFB in 1979, after being sent to Korea in 1980 I started taking Tang Soo Do, I achieved the rank of 1st Dan (Black Belt) and came back to the states and started to teach at the base (Andrews), now I always had a bad temper and it seemed… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on November 23, 2009 at 11:30am — No Comments

The Devil Knows Your Favorite Flavor

David loved God probably more than any human that ever lived did, and he fell prey to sexual temptation. We often try and pick apart the scenario that led up to the fall of David. Yes there were many factors. 1. David should have been on the battlefield. 2. David was away from the Ark of the Covenant, which was the very presence of God. 3. David was alone, a lack of accountability since the priest and the prophets were also on the field of battle. 4.… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on November 22, 2009 at 9:56pm — No Comments

The Devil Knows Your Favorite Flavor

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on November 22, 2009 at 9:56pm — No Comments

Sexual Idolotry

Lust: Webster's Dictionary defines lust as "intense or unbridled sexual desire," "an intense longing: craving" and a "conscious impulse toward something that promises enjoyment or satisfaction in its attainment." The problem with lust is that it is based in selfishness and works contrary to love. In fact, it is the opposite of love (see lust vs. love). When fed, it can grow into an uncontrollable force in a person's life. Like a wildfire, lust can consume a person's resources, time and… Continue

Added by Mark H. Stevens, Th.D on November 22, 2009 at 10:01am — No Comments