“For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Galatians 3:27) At salvation the believer is joined with Christ. The Christian is brought into union with Him. Union with Christ is not a worker’s organization that has Jesus as it’s head. Union with Christ is the Christian’s vital connection…… Continue reading Union and Communion

In October Joe Humrichous will be teaching at Manistique Bible Church. To help us prepare our minds and hearts for that time, I will be periodically posting various blog articles written by Joe. You can find more articles at http://www.paradigm1.org Pray with Jesus Obviously Present and Actively in Charge The first time I heard the…… Continue reading Jesus Christ Obviously Present and Actively in Charge

The abiding in Christ in described John 15 is the same as being filled with the Spirit mentioned in Ephesians 5 and is the same as letting the Word of Christ dwell in you richly found in Colossians 3. These three passages show that the essence of Christian living is conscious, active and persistent dependence…… Continue reading Abiding, Filling or Indwelling?

“The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.” Psalm 24 praises God as the King of Glory. In doing so it considers various features of God’s glory. Specifically, the King of Glory is the Creator and Possessor of all things. Creation is the supreme proof of God’s…… Continue reading Mediation on the King of Creation

“And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.” (1 John 2:28) In John 15 Christ told His disciples to abide in Him so they could bear much fruit. The First Epistle of John instructs Christians to abide in…… Continue reading Fruitful in Christ

In 1881 churches were tempted by the same things that tempt churches today. The unending temptation is to rely on human skill and natural ability to build a church. These efforts have produced large churches but they have done so to the neglect of the most important. These methods build churches full of people, but…… Continue reading What it Takes

Idolatry is the elevation of a created thing to be more important than the Creator. This occurs in a variety of ways. One of which is when the person looks to something as the source of what only God can give. Many think of idolatry as the religious practice of ancient peoples or tribal peoples…… Continue reading Worship the Giver not the Gifts

“The new birth is very, very much more than simply shedding a few tears due to a temporary remorse over sin. It is far more than changing our course of life, the leaving off of bad habits and the substituting of good ones. It is something different from the mere cherishing and practising of noble…… Continue reading More Than a Few Tears

To aid in meditating upon what it means to abide in Christ, I have borrowed and modified another’s outline. “The following Biblical images are various ways of describing what it means to practice God’s presence; they’re all ongoing practices—not once-and-done actions.” • Abide in Christ (John 15:4–5) • Love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37–40) •…… Continue reading Pictures of Walking with God

Forgiveness is essential for the health of any long-term human relationship. Your parents wronged you. Your siblings went out of their way to wrong you. Your spouse has wronged you. Every friend you’ve ever had in your life, including your dog, has wronged you. Your co-workers and neighbors have wronged you. Possibly worst of all,…… Continue reading Forgiveness