Message from Nathan Martin on May 26, 2024 ..read more

Proverbs 31:29-30 is an apt word for any Godly woman: "Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised." (NASB) Few in Scripture fit this description better than Hannah of the OT. One of two wives of a gentleman named Elkanah, Hannah was unable to bear children. That disappointment was exacerbated by the constant ridicule and verbal abuse of her husband's other wife, Peninnah. But a time came when the family went to Shiloh to worship and while there, Hannah went to the tabernacle and poured out ..read more

1 Peter 2:9-10 says: "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a dedicated nation, God’s own purchased, special people, that you may set forth the wonderful deeds and display the virtues and perfections of Him Who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Once you were not a people at all, but now you are God’s people; once you were unpitied, but now you are pitied and have received mercy." (AMPC) Not only pitied. Not only cleansed. Not only redeemed. Not only forgiven. But adopted--made royal heirs of the King of kings and likewise a holy nation and beloved family of priests ..read more

Jeremiah 29:4-7 are the words of God's prophet to the people of Judah, exiled to Babylon: “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your ..read more

Psalm 19 speaks to what theologians refer to as general revelation and special revelation as it describes what God has made and likewise authored. General Revelation refers to God's visible handiwork as seen in His creation, His Devine fingerprints upon all He's made--from galaxies and supernovas to molecular structures and nuclear physics. Special Revelation is God's direct communication with people, through dreams and visions, miracles, prophets, personal visitations, and especially through His written Word. While we can't look up at an eclipse or constellation and know that murder and adult ..read more

In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus peels back the veil of what happens when people die. Some believe His story to merely be a parable; others do not. But Jesus told it and we needn't second guess its validity. God's Word supersedes all our cultural beliefs, superstitions, and sensational tales--both for this life as well as the life to come. Jesus' story is about a poor beggar named Lazarus, hungry and afflicted with sores. It also features a man of great means, which upon his front gate the destitute Lazarus is laid. Then both men die. Lazarus goes to Paradise while the rich man is sent across the chasm ..read more

The Scriptures give us a few glimpses into heavenly scenes from guys like Isaiah and Ezekiel, not to mention from the Apostle John in the book of Revelation. While these visions are extraordinary as they describe angelic beings and heavenly creatures that make naked baby angels seem cartoonish, their commonality are descriptions of the majestic glory of being in the holy presence of Almighty God! The sights and sounds of celestial songs and thunderous prophetic declarations leave no doubt that this is a PLACE made by God, for God, for His honor and His glory! The eyewitnesses who chronicled wh ..read more

In writing to the church in Corinth where some began to doubt the resurrection of Jesus (not to mention their own) the Apostle Paul pens the following in 1 Corinthians 15:17-20: "And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead. He is the first of a great harvest of all who have died." (NLT) Saul of Tarsus, before he became Paul, was ..read more

As Jesus mounted a donkey and rode into Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday, Luke 19:41-42 reveals: "And when He drew near and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, 'Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.'" (ESV) Besides seeing Jerusalem as it was that day (and far into the future), Jesus also saw the hearts of all the people with crystal clear clarity and He knew what was about to take place in just a few days. He knew shouts of Hosanna would turn to cries for His crucifixion. He also knew that though they were ..read more

1 Peter 3:13-16 says: "Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ." (NLT) Being bold and courageous never goes out of fashion. N ..read more