Pastor Marc Bertrand

  What Does It Mean to Call God “Father?” One of the most well-known statements of the Christian faith is the Lord’s Prayer, which begins with the words “Our Father which art in heaven.” This is part of the universal treasury of Christendom. When I hear Christians in a private gathering praying individually, almost every single person begins their prayer by addressing God as Father. There’s nothing  more common among us than to address God as our Father. So central is this to our Christian experience that in the nineteenth century, there were some who said the basic essence of the whole Christian religion can be reduced to two points: the universal brotherhood of man and the universal fatherhood of God. In that context I am afraid we have missed one of the most radical teachings of Jesus. A few years ago, a German scholar was doing research in New Testament literature and discovered that in the entire history of Judaism—in all existing books of the Old Testament and all existing books

  Teaching Rebirth. Black and white version of Nicodemus and Jesus and their night time meeting. What Is a Born Again Christian? Or Born from above? The phrase “Born Again Christian” applies to people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior or Redeemer. To be born again in this sense is not an actual physical rebirth, but it indicates a spiritual rebirth. The phrase “born again Christian” is frequently misinterpreted. Looking at its primary reference, we see that its meaning is not about physical birth, but about experiencing a spiritual renewal. It is is an expression used by many Protestants to define the moment or process of fully accepting faith in Jesus Christ. It is an experience when the teachings of Christianity and Jesus become real, and the "born again" acquire a personal relationship with God. The term is originated from an incident in the New Testament in which the words of Jesus were not understood by a Jewish Pharisee, Nicodemus. Jesus replied, "Very truly

  What is a born again Christian?. “What is a born again Christian” is a question that is often asked. “a recent national survey found that about fifty percent of the American population claimed to be born again Christians”. However, when that question was presented to its participants, one has to wonder how they defined “born again Christian.” Did the participants all have the same understanding  of what the term means? What is a born again Christian anyway? The term “born again” refers to people who have accepted Jesus as their Savior, or the Messiah. Of course it is not a physical rebirth, but it refers to a spiritual rebirth. The person understands that he/she is a sinner (Romans 3:23) and that the penalty for that sin is death (Romans 6:23). To remedy the situation, God sent His only Son to die in his/her place—to take the penalty for sin (Romans 5:8). After Jesus’ death, He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-6). Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6) and He gives the gift o

  Ezra Leads in Public Readings. THE BOOK OF GENESIS AND GOD’S LAW. The Book of Genesis contains the record of humanity’s beginning and the foundation and basis of all subsequent biblical revelation. As with all studies of the Bible, there is truth for those who search for it. Likewise, a thorough study of chapters two and three of the Book of Genesis reveals truth that has been hidden for centuri es. “The Law of Jehovah Is Perfect”. 1, 2. Why do many people have little regard for law, yet how may we come to feel about God’s laws? “LAW is a bottomless pit, it . . . devours everything.” That statement appeared in a book published back in 1712. Its author decried a legal system in which lawsuits sometimes dragged through the courts for years, bankrupting those seeking justice. In many lands, legal and judicial systems are so complex, so rife with injustice, prejudice, and inconsistencies, that contempt for law has become widespread. 2 By way of contrast, consider these words written some

  Torch. Hand holding torch. What does a torch symbolize in the Bible?. Psalms 119:105. The light of a torch radiates outward and dissipates darkness. This symbol of the Olympic Games and the purpose of them can be a reminder to the world of its need to reach outward in further effort to advance humanity's goals. What does a torch symbolize?. The torch is a common emblem of both enlightenment and hope. ... Crossed reversed torches were signs of mourning that appear on Greek and Roman funerary monuments—a torch pointed downwards symbolizes death, while a torch held up symbolizes life, truth and the regenerative power of flame. The torch of spiritual understanding The Olympic torch is a traditional and worthy symbol of the Olympic Games, whose purpose is to encourage harmony among nations and their peoples, and by its very shining light to brighten and kindle the hope that the spirit of excellence being pursued by the participating athletes will illumine the hearts of the world's

  Passing the Torch. Older couple passing a torch to the next generation. Harry Anderson painting. What does a torch symbolize in the Bible?. Psalms 119:105. The light of a torch radiates outward and dissipates darkness. This symbol of the Olympic Games and the purpose of them can be a reminder to the world of its need to reach outward in further effort to advance humanity's goals. What does the torch represent?. The torch is a symbol of enlightenment. The Statue of Liberty's torch lights the way to freedom showing us the path to Liberty. Even the Statue's official name represents her most important symbol "Liberty Enlightening the World" What does a torch mean?. The torch is a common emblem of both enlightenment and hope. ... Crossed reversed torches were signs of mourning that appear on Greek and Roman funerary monuments—a torch pointed downwards symbolizes death, while a torch held up symbolizes life, truth and the regenerative power of flame. Passing the Torch

  When Was The Sabbath Established? Although the Church isn’t always clear on teaching which day really is the Sabbath, it typically does a good job of establishing at which point in history God gave the commandment to observe the Sabbath. We all know the story: Israel gets led out of slavery in Egypt by Moses and wanders around the desert for a really long time due to their lack of faith, Israel then starts worshiping other gods and generally makes some poor life choices, and as a result, God gives Moses the ten commandments at Mount Sinai, in which the Sabbath commandment is included. Sounds pretty straight forward, right? A closer examination of Scripture may actually lead to a surprising answer. Let’s take a look at the history of the Sabbath in Scripture, including when it was instituted, who was expected to observe it, and what it means for the Church today. In the Beginning Yes, we’re going back that far. In order to establish the origin of the Sabbath, we need to go back to the

  Why did Adam blame Eve? Adam and Eve Refuse to Accept Responsibility Labor PowerPoint Immediately after Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, the Bible says their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked. Something catastrophic had happened. They were awkwardly aware of themselves and uncomfortable. More than just feeling self-conscious, they knew they had done something terribly wrong and violated a sacred trust. “And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, 'Where are you?' So he said, 'I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.' And He said, 'Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?'” (Genesis 3:8-11) God

  Garden of Eden. The beautiful garden containing the tree of life, where God intended Adam and Eve to live in peaceful and contented innocence, effortlessly reaping the fruits of the Earth. The garden also contained the tree of knowledge of good and evil, from which Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat. What does Eden mean?. noun. Also called: Garden of Eden Old Testament the garden in which Adam and Eve were placed at the Creation. a delightful place, region, dwelling, etc; paradise. a state of great delight, happiness, or contentment; bliss. Where Was the Garden of Eden?. Most Bible commentaries state that the site of the Garden of Eden was in the Middle East, but what does Scripture actually tell us? Exactly where was the Garden of Eden?. Most Bible commentaries state that the site of the Garden of Eden was in the Middle East, situated somewhere near where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are today. This is based on the description given in Genesis 2:8–14:. The Lord God planted a gard

  Bible Truth Bible Truth - Why is this Book any Different than the Others? Is there such a thing as "Bible Truth?" Why should we trust this "holy book" any more than any other spiritual, religious or philosophical treatise? How can we be sure that the Bible we read today is the same collection of 66 books that were originally written in ancient times? Bible Truth - The Reliability of the Ancient Manuscripts Bible truth? Let's take a look! The Bible is unquestionably the world's all-time bestseller with an estimated 2 billion copies in print. The Bible was completed in its entirety nearly 2,000 years ago and stands today as the best-preserved literary work of all antiquity, with over 24,000 ancient New Testament manuscripts discovered so far (compare this with the second best-preserved literary work of all antiquity, Homer's Iliad, with only 643 preserved manuscripts discovered thus far). The printing press wasn't invented until the 1450's, but w

  “Will You Lay Down Your Life?” Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends….I have called you friends… —John 15:13, 15 Jesus does not ask me to die for Him, but to lay down my life for Him. Peter said to the Lord, “I will lay down my life for Your sake,” and he meant it (John 13:37). He had a magnificent sense of the heroic. For us to be incapable of making this same statement Peter made would be a bad thing— our sense of duty is only fully realized through our sense of heroism. Has the Lord ever asked you, “Will you lay down your life for My sake?” (John 13:38). It is much easier to die than to lay down your life day in and day out with the sense of the high calling of God. We are not made for the bright-shining moments of life, but we have to walk in the light of them in our everyday ways. There was only one bright-shining moment in the life of Jesus, and that was on the Mount of Transfiguration. It was there that He emptied Himself of His glory f