Articles by Marty Kessler

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...

Why did God record his reasons for choosing Abraham? For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him”, - Genesis 18:19 I confess that there was a time when I wanted the above passage to say that God chose Abraham becau...

We’ve been told over and over that the last living dinosaur lived millions of years ago. If that’s so, I have some questions. First, why are there accounts of human encounters with dragons (“dinosaur” was not coined until 1841) from nearly every ancient culture on the planet? England, Italy, France, Greece, Israel, Nepal, Russia, China, Japan, Ireland, Germany, Switzerland, Ethiopia, Egypt, P...

Some years ago, I recall visiting with some friends. I don’t remember any part of our visit except one statement they made. They said they did not want to influence their children in matters of religion. They wanted their children to grow up and make their own choices and decisions about the subject. Needless to say, I was stunned at such a strategy for raising children. I’ve always thought it was...

In John 9:20-22 we can read of Jesus giving sight to a man who had been blind all of his life. The man’s parents knew Jesus had done this for their son, but refused to publicly acknowledge him because they feared they would be put out of the synagogue for admitting that it was so. In John 12:42-43 we are told that among those in authority in Jerusalem, many believed in Jesus. These, however, ...

Jesus said, “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men to myself”. This truthful claim of his is why I believe he commissioned the church to preach the gospel of his death, burial and resurrection to the whole world. Jesus taught us to do good works that God may be glorified, and to impact the world like salt & light according to Matthew 5:13-16. Doing good lifts up Jesus to the world today.&nbs...

Charles Darwin noted several problems with his own theories. Below is one of my favorites: “But then with me the horrid doubt always arises whether the convictions of man's mind, which has been developed from the mind of the lower animals, are of any value or at all trustworthy. Would any one trust in the convictions of a monkey's mind, if there are any convictions in such a mind?” Charles Da...

Two archers are honing their skills, slinging arrows at the same target. One man’s arrow strikes the target near the bullseye, and he feels a sense of satisfaction at coming close to his mark, yet determines to make every effort to bring his next shot even closer. His desire is to master his bow so that his arrows will consistently strike wherever he aims them. The second man draws his b...

I am indebted to Irishman John Lennox, mathematician and Christian apologist, for the following insight. God teaches us to love him with all of our heart, soul and mind, said first in Deuteronomy 6:5 and repeated by Jesus in Matthew 22:37. What does it mean, however, to love God with all of your mind? Suppose for example, that an unbeliever asks you why you believe. Have you thought...