Articles by Marty Kessler

Not every child has the privilege of learning from an early age about God, his son, Jesus and his Holy Spirit.  I did. My mother never failed to see that I was present when and where these things were being taught.  She made sure that I had plenty of opportunities to rub shoulders with people who were living lessons in Christianity. What a wonderful environment those people created. &nbs...

Imagine someone with tattoos that cover both arms.  Done?  Good.  Now imagine an older person with white hair and a shuffling gait. Ever see a guy in public wearing a sharp looking suit & tie, or a middle aged lady with brightly colored spiked hair? Picture someone with a cigarette or maybe a young girl with a short skirt and a blouse that shows a little too much cleavage.How about ...

First…..Go where you want to lead others.  Children instinctively sense hypocrisy.  If you want your children to grow closer to the Lord Jesus Christ, they must see you making the effort to grow closer to him.  Decide now to be willing to grow, which means being willing to change.If you plan to lead your family closer to God, you must plan to lead your family closer to God (y...

Ephesians 5:25 says this: Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her. It can’t be a question of whether or not a husband will jump in front of a speeding car to save his wife.  Of course I’m sure God expects a man to be willing to do that if necessary...but I don’t believe the apostle meant for us to get such a limited idea of hu...

Paul wrote that it was a very small thing to him to be judged by others (1st Corinthians 4:3-6), and that he would not even judge himself since such judgement belongs only to God.  Later, however, he wrote telling the same saints to examine themselves to see whether or not they were in the faith and so as not to "fail the test" (2nd Corinthians 13:5-6).  Is there a difference between "ju...

Have you seen the pictures of those being saved from Harvey’s destruction?  What could be said of them?  “You look horrible.”  “Your clothes are a mess.”  “When is the last time you showered?”  “Have you even fed your children today?”  “Why do you live in a flood zone?”  “Why didn’t you leave everything and run to safety?”  “Why weren’t you prepared for this...

That’s the number I have counted so far of congregations of the church noted in the New Testament. Some congregations are specifically mentioned while in other places there would simply be mention of some disciples in a particular locale.  Paul seems to refer to multiple congregations in Galatia and on the island of Crete (Galatians 1:1-2 & Titus 1:5) but does not identify how many there are,...

You can only reach those who want to be reached, but you won’t reach anyone without trying to reach them.  Give God an effort to bless.  Even God cannot bless an effort you do not make  If I love God with all of my mind, like Jesus said to do (Matthew 22:37), won’t I spend time using my mind to imagine ways to reach my friends? 1st Peter 3:15 teaches us to b...

Jesus did not stutter when he called the devil the father of lies (John 8:44).  Jesus also stated very clearly that the devil is the one who deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9).  I believe he is still at work, trying to deceive us every day, and that his favorite place to spread lies is within the church. He wants us to avoid meeting with the church believing that we are unworthy....

The Egyptians are coming!  The Egyptians are coming!  What will we do!?  Oh look, God parted the sea for us and then brought the sea back again to destroy the Egyptian army.  Did not see that coming. We are going to die of thirst in this desert!  God doesn’t care about us!  Oh look, God brought abundant water from a rock after having Moses strike it with his staff.&nb...

Does fake news makes you angry? Not as angry as fake worship likely makes God. Jesus said, “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers”- John 4:23 Jesus had just said that the Samaritans did not know what they were doing with regard to worship in 4:22. Is it possible to not...

Jesus prayed for his apostles, but also for all of his disciples, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth……. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in you…..”, John 17:16-17 & 20-21 Jesus is affirming tha...

Below is some century old advice that is just as current as it could be. It was written originally by a preacher for preachers, but the principles are applicable to any Christian working in any vocation. “Keep about your work! Do not flinch because the lion roars, do not stop to stone the devil’s dogs, do not fool away your time chasing the devil’s rabbits; do your work! Win souls to Christ! ...

One of the most difficult trials I have faced was seeing my mother lose her memory. “She is not who she once was”, I would say, and no one ever asked me to explain what I meant. They knew. Without our memory, we lose track of our identity. Our memory helps us carry along our experiences in life, our responses to them and especially our relationships to others and everything else that makes us...

Jefferson created two collections of excerpts from the scriptures that have been called "versions" of the Bible. His purpose for each has been misinterpreted and maligned. Jefferson wrote letters explaining the reasoning behind the "Bibles" he created. Sadly, his writings are seldom used to explain his works. Instead, we often hear that his personal views on the Bible cast doubts on it's legi...

Every life can be criticized. Yours will be; but probably more by yourself than anyone else. In any case, avoiding criticism is not the point of life. The point of life is to honor God in what we do each day of our lives, Ecclesiastes 12:13. Remember that no one honored God more than Jesus, and he was crucified for it. We can accomplish “things” in life, but accomplishments are not the point ...

Balaam, a prophet of God, being tempted with cold hard cash from Israel’s enemies, came up with the idea of leading Israel into fornication and idolatrous worship with “the daughters of Moab”. You can read about this whole sordid affair in the book of Numbers 22-25, 2nd Peter 2:15-16 & Jude 11. God instructed Moses to execute those who had lead Israel to do so. When a man came brazenly amongs...

I recently saw where a fellow claimed that Jesus only commissioned the apostles to spread the gospel, arguing that such was not the responsibility of individual saints. Really? Is he kidding? Was disciple making to end once the apostles died? I seriously doubt that was Jesus’ intention. If so, why then did the Holy Spirit inspire Luke to tell us of so many who were not apostles, but who ...

If you read Mark’s gospel, you will be able to see that he records nine times when Jesus told the apostles very clearly that he would be arrested, tried, crucified and then three days later, be resurrected from the dead (8:27-33, 9:1-13, 9:30-32, 10:32-34, 10:35-45, 12:1-11, 14:3-9, 14:17-25 & 14:26-31).Mark, however, does not record the time that Jesus said, “…….for just as Jonah was three days a...

“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” …….. Jesus, from the gospel of John the apostle, 8:44 Who does not value truth? The best liars want to know th...