Pastor Marc Bertrand

"Is born again virginity possible?" Born-again virginity is the claim that after having sex, a person can be restored to virginity by a spiritual renewal, vowing sexual purity until marriage and asking God for forgiveness. Some women have taken the idea of born-again virginity so far that they actually have had surgery to physically restore themselves to a “virgin” physical-sexual state. The pre ssure upon some Christians to become "born-again virgins" is likely due in large part to the fear of condemnation from Christian brothers and sisters, or perhaps fear that God will not accept them unless they take steps to become “born-again virgins.” Neither of these reasons should be a concern because God offers forgiveness and grace to all who ask with a sincere heart (1 John 1:9). We need not try to restore for ourselves what God has already restored in us spiritually. The Bible says that when we are born again, we are new creations, our old selves are dead and gone, an...

What Does Isaiah 45:23 Mean? "I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. Isaiah 45:23(NASB Verse Thoughts Israel broke their covenant with God. They followed after idols, instead of remaining true to their Lord. They were His chosen people, but did not carry out His instructions, to be a light to the Gentiles or to tell the nations that God is the eternal Lord. He is the great Creator of the heavens, and He it was Who formed the earth. As well as bringing God’s punishment upon themselves, because of their sinful idolatry, Israel refused to share the good news of salvation, as instructed. They were told to teach the nations that the Lord speaks righteously – declaring things that are upright. However, they refused to tell others that He is a light, to lighten the Gentiles, as well as the Jews, and they did not instruct other nations that in Him alone is m...

What Does John 15:16 Mean? "You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. John 15:16(NASB). Many misquote the first part of this verse as referring to initial salvation: you did not choose Me but I chose you and appointed you.. But these words were spoken to men who had already believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and were being chosen and appointed to produce good and lasting fruit - to the praise of God the Father. The Lord Jesus was only hours away from His crucifixion when He spoke these words to His eleven disciples. They were not chosen to receive salvation for they were already believers in Christ. These men were chosen to bear fruit that would remain. They had just learned that Christ was the true Vine, the Father was the husbandman and they were simply branches, that were to abide in the Vine - in order to be fruitful. Indeed t...

Into What Were You BAPTIZED? Here are vital principles new members and old alike desperately need to understand! SO NOW you've been baptized! But INTO WHAT? Today, most denominational leaders are truly elated over rising church attendance, increased Bible sales, a gradual leaning toward religion to supply the answers in a perplexing, frantic, dizzying, explosive world! People, it seems, are trying to "make their peace with God." Buying God Off To many, this final "peace making" is a mere ceremony — a long-delayed and very reluctant surrender of an old and cherished way of life! It is a last-minute and desperate attempt, now that old age is creeping up, and the doubts of the hereafter are beginning to linger more and more, to "get right" with their Creator — to assuage His wrath, to appease His anger, to "buy God off!" REALIZING this factor of human nature, brethren, you need to take real WARNING! Perhaps, without realizing it, some of YOU sc...

Examine Yourself Before Taking Communion? The Bible tells us that we need to take a good, long look at what is going on in our hearts when we partake in the Lord’s Supper. “Let a person examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup,” Paul told the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:28). In Corinth this intended act of “communion” with the Lord had become a thoughtless and even selfish  church ritual. Their minds had clearly shifted from Christ’s substitutionary sacrifice and had wandered elsewhere. We must not ever let that happen to us. We must stay mentally engaged when we partake of these elements. They have been ordained to soberly remind us of the high cost of God’s forgiveness (1 Peter 1:18–19). Eating and drinking them vividly depicts our union and solidarity with Christ as our Savior, Lord and Source of spiritual life (1 Corinthians 10:16). We should also take the time to examine ourselves to ensure that our relationship with Christ is authentic and genuine. Not...

Isaiah 56:10-12 (KJV) 10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter. 12 Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink; and to morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. Isaiah 56:10-12 Does this not sound like religion? In verse 9, God calls for the nations to devour His people. Its leaders are blind to the nation's real needs because they are thinking of their lusts instead of speaking out and acting on issues of morality. They blindly plunge on, proclaiming that it will be better tomorrow! (10) His watchmen are blind.--These are the guides of the people, and specially the self-styled prophets, who are "blind" to the signs of the times, who are "dumb," a...

Facts about the Trinity: Pagan Doctrine Revealed? The concept of a polytheistic Trinitarian religion is regarded as fundamental by many Christian churches, although the word "trinity" does not appear in the Bible. In fact, the word did not even appear in Christian literature until the beginning of the third century. Is the Trinity a false pagan doctrine? Ever since its construction by Roman Catholic theologians in the third and fourth centuries, the doctrine of the "Trinity" has baffled, confused, and frustrated both those trying to understand it, as well as those trying to explain it to them. They attempt to justify their belief in this confusing doctrine by misreading scriptures or taking them out of context, by not understanding proper translations, adding scripture where there was none and generally ignoring the heavy preponderance of all scriptural evidence that is contrary to the Trinity. For about 1400 years, Trinitarian supporters often answered the questio...

Holy Spirit: What Is God’s Spirit? God’s Word says a lot about the Holy Spirit, but it’s one of the least understood subjects in the Bible. Just what is God’s Spirit? One thing is clear: You need God’s Holy Spirit! The Bible declares that the Holy Spirit is the power of God (2 Timothy 1:7 ), that it leads us into all truth (John 14:17, 26 ), that it enables us to discern spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:11, 14 ), that it is our guarantee (“seal”) of eternal life in the resurrection (Ephesians 1:13-14 ), and that without it we are “not His” (Romans 8:9 , emphasis added). You need God’s Spirit to be a Christian! But how do you acquire the Holy Spirit? How do you know if you are being led by it and producing the fruit of the Spirit? What is the evidence of the Holy Spirit working in someone’s life? And is the Holy Spirit a person—the third person of a trinitarian Godhead? (Hint: The early Church did not teach that the Holy Spirit is a person. It took hundreds of years for this doctrine ...

Is the Holy Spirit a Person? How does the Bible describe the Holy Spirit? Does it describe the Holy Spirit as a person, a member of a Trinity? Let’s look at what the Bible teaches. If the Holy Spirit is a person, why is the Holy Spirit not included when Paul, Peter and John sent greetings to the churches? Why is the Trinity doctrine not taught in the Bible? The word, “person” has had different meanings over the course of time. The New World Encyclopedia notes, “Tertullian started to use the expression of ‘three persons’ (tres personae in Latin). The Latin word persona in the days of Tertullian never meant a self-conscious individual person, which is what is usually meant by the modern English word ‘person.’ In those days, it only meant legal ownership or a mask used at the theater. Thus three distinct persons are still of one substance (una substantia in Latin). It was in this context that Tertullian also used the word trinitas” (key word “Trinity”). In the Trinity doctrine, a “person...

Safe in God’s Hands Jesus promised that His followers can’t be snatched from the Father’s hand. What does that promise mean for us today? A most comforting and encouraging promise is found in John 10:27-29. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. … My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand .” Jesus is quite emphatic. His disciples have been given to Him by the Father, and no enemy is able to snatch them out of God’s hands. Do we believe this promise given to us by Jesus? And what does God expect us to do to claim this promise? Consider the first part of what Jesus said: “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” “My sheep hear My voice”: believing Jesus’ words. In the final hours before Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus prayed to the Father. He asked Him to sanctify or set apart His followers by His truth and added, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). It is through th...

"What does the Bible say about brokenness?" In this world, broken things are despised and thrown out. Anything we no longer need, we throw away. Damaged goods are rejected, and that includes people. In marriage, when relationships break down, the tendency is to walk away and find someone new rather than work at reconciliation. The world is full of people with broken hearts, broken spirits and bro ken relationships. “The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit” (Psalm 34:18). There is something about reaching a breaking point that causes us to seek the Lord more sincerely. King David was once a broken man, and he prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me… The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise” (Psalm 51:10, 17). There are some things in our lives that need to be broken: pride, self-will, stubbornness, and sinful habits, for example. When ...

Getting Ready to be Used by God As a pastor or church leader, I know you want to be used by God. As a leader of leaders, I know you want to help others to be usable by God. “For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9 NIV). The Bible teaches five requirements for being used by God. 1. Keep your life clean. The first step to being used by God is always personal examination. When you find someone whom God is using in a great way, they’ve dealt with the personal sin in their lives by confessing it to God. God uses small vessels, plain vessels, and even broken vessels. But he will not use a dirty vessel. Matthew 23:26 says, “Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean” (NIV). 2. Keep your eyes open. One of the most misunderstood words in leadership circles is the word vision. We think of vision as predicting the future, but none of us can know the...

Your soul, salvation is your own responsibility I once believed the finding one’s way to salvation was a lifelong struggle filled with pitfalls and potholes strategically placed to trip you up in an effort to deny you your rightful place in heaven and ensure permanent residence in hell. My confusion about this had me questioning, if true, then how should one live a “Christian” life? I mean you’re  not supposed to be able to earn your way into God’s presence. Faith dictates you accept the fact Jesus secured that for the faithful when He died on the cross. Please be mindful I do not claim unique spiritual insight on this issue. I’m sure my dilemma can easily be resolved by more mature Christians than me, who would deem this rather elementary. So since faith without works is supposed to be bogus and simple faith alone won’t get you into the kingdom, I ask again, how should you approach living your life? I’ve often said in this column in this stage of my spiritual development (because...

What Does it Really Mean to Have a Relationship with God? God loves us and wants us to have a personal relationship with Him. God, our Heavenly Father, has always desired to be close to us, to have a relationship with us. As Christians, we acknowledge that God exists and that Christ was resurrected. Despite knowing this, many of us have absolutely no idea what it means to have a relationship with  God. What does it mean to trust God? What is expected of us and what should we expect from God? Should one pray despite the feeling that no one is listening? The problem for many Christians is that the beginning of our relationships with God is not motivated by love but by expectation. A lot of us grow up in churches that tell us that having a relationship with God comes with the territory of belief. We know we are expected to have a relationship with God, but don’t otherwise feel led to cultivate a relationship with God. When we open our hearts to a real relationship with God through Ch...

"Is Christianity a religion or a relationship?" Religion is “the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” In that respect, Christianity can be classified as a religion. However, practically speaking, Christianity has a key difference that separates it from other belief systems that are considered religions. That difference is relationship. Most  religion, theistic or otherwise, is man-centered. Any relationship with God is based on man’s works. A theistic religion, such as Judaism or Islam, holds to the belief in a supreme God or gods; while non-theistic religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, focus on metaphysical thought patterns and spiritual “energies.” But most religions are similar in that they are built upon the concept that man can reach a higher power or state of being through his own efforts. In most religions, man is the aggressor and the deity is the beneficiary of man’s efforts, sacrifices, or good deeds. Par...

There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death. Proverbs 14:12 Ever since Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man has been convinced that he can decide for himself how he will worship his Creator. As a result, the human family has crafted an endless array of beliefs designed to proclaim the greatness of a god made in their im age. The following is a brief list of some of the leading religions and religious beliefs on the earth today. As you read it, ask yourself if this is what God had in mind when He created the first human beings and placed them in an exquisite garden. man made religion:  (n)  an evangelical christian term meant to marginalize some other religious view; often used to marginalize other evangelical christian views. The evangelical social lingo probably stems from the desire to use the views of Jesus' opponents as an analogue to the modern evangelical's situation. In other words, when an e...