Truth really can be stranger than fiction.
First Page - Now launched! All the stories are true, or based on real events. Unlimited reading for $4.99 / month. No downloads. Read on your phone, tablet or computer.
La verdad puede ser más extraña que la ficción.
First Page - ¡Ya está en marcha! Todas las historias son verídicas, o están basadas en hechos reales. Lectura ilimitada por $4.99 / mes. No hay que descargar nada. Lea en su teléfono, tableta u ordenador.
Manna Minutes Podcast: Eye-opening Bible study in less than five minutes! Access all episodes here.
Manna Minutes en español:
Estudio bíblico que nos hace abrir los ojos en menos de cinco minutos! Acceda a todos los episodios aquí.
Manna Minutes Podcast auf Deutsch:
Augenöffnendes Bibelstudium in weniger als fünf Minuten! Alle Episoden finden Sie hier.
Was There A Curse On Helen's Romantic Life?
The Third Man by Angela Sheffield is based on a true story. Read chapter one now!
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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6
Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6
Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!
King Jesus Rejected: Pastor Worship Embraced
The scripture of 1 Samuel 8:4-7 reads, "Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou art old and thy sons walk not in thy ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me that I should not reign over them."
Unmasking Rejection of God as King
There are very important truths revealed in this passage of the Bible; however, focus is placed on Israel's rejection of King Jesus. Notice that the elders didn't tell Samuel the real motivation behind their request for a king to rule over them. They made it sound as though they simply desired to be like all the other nations around them who were ruled by a king. One very significant truth of which Christian believers are reminded is that an individual's words do not always reflect what is in his or her heart. This is because there might be embarrassment if the actual wickedness of the heart is uncovered, but nothing is hid to God. His word says, "Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto his eyes..." (Hebrews 4:13).
The elders didn't reveal to Samuel the wickedness in them that caused them to reject God's rulership. They simply pretended to want to live like other nations. The Bible reminds that, "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be and that which is done is that which shall be done and there is no new thing under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). This practice of attempting to cover up wickedness is nothing new nor has it ceased in modern times. The same things that people did in the past are being done in the present and will be done in the future until the end of the present Earth. The doing of those same things might take a different form, but they remain unchanged in essence. Therefore, as the elders of Israel rejected God as King in their "roundabout" way, so many Christians today are rejecting King Jesus though they refrain from blatantly rejecting him with words such as, "I don't want King Jesus to rule over me." It should be remembered that ancient Israel never said words like, "We don't want God to be our King."
It's interesting to note that, like the elders of ancient Israel, they look for a mortal shepherd to "rule" them instead of the Good Shepherd; and they end up committing what has come to be called pastor worship--a modern form of having a mortal ruler instead of King Jesus. Israel's rejection of God as their King was wickedness. Samuel said to Israel, "Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call unto the Lord and he shall send thunder and rain that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king" (I Samuel 12:17).
Rejection of King Jesus in Pastor Worship
There are many Christians who choose to obey and support their pastor even when they must blatantly and willfully disobey God's Word to do so. Nevertheless, they continue to claim to be the servants of King Jesus while rejecting his Word for the word of their pastor or other Christian leaders. The scenarios of preference for pastor worship over the worship of the Lord are numerous, but they have that one thing in common--words don't reflect what is truly taking place. Pastor worship is pure rejection of King Jesus as ruler because whenever a man's word is placed above God's Word, especially when it's in opposition to God, it amounts to choosing to have a mortal "king" over the King of kings.
Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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