Bible | AGW MINISTRIES

Why Are Old Testament Laws So Harsh? (Part 1)

July 27, 2017June 24, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

why are the old testament laws so harsh_ — Matthew 19:7-9

Skeptics and Christians alike often find it difficult to reconcile how God is presented in the Old Testament compared to the New Testament. With a quick read it seems the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament. Thus, it is no surprise that many ask questions like, “Why are Old Testament laws so harsh?” “Why does God seem so mean in the Old Testament?” “Why does God seem so different in the Old Testament?” Or “Why is the Old Testament so full of violence when Jesus seems so peaceful?”

The Importance of Resting In God

June 22, 2016June 21, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

In Jesus’ time on earth, one of his main battles with the Pharisees revolved around the Sabbath, which was supposed to be a time of resting from working. The Jews were governed by the laws of the Torah, and there it explicitly states not to work on the Sabbath.

Jesus could have just gone along with what they wanted as a way of keeping the peace, but he didn’t. Jesus clearly had an equally strong conviction about how the Sabbath rest should be viewed. He wanted to show people that the Sabbath is important not so much because we are to rest from our work, but more so because we must rest in God. So what’s the importance of resting in God?

Is Humor Biblical?

May 28, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

When we go to the Bible, laughter is usually not a common response. But is it okay to laugh? Does God have a sense of humor? Is humor biblical?

Our relationship with the Holy God must start with a holy fear, with a reverence and recognition of our need for the blood of Christ to wash away our filth. No matter how close and comfortable we get with God, the fear of the Lord must never leave us. We must never try to base our access to God on anything but the righteous work of Jesus Christ. Our humility, honor, and our fear of the Lord truly are the foundation of a healthy attitude towards God. But none of these statements mean that humor is unbiblical.

Why I Don’t Capitalize the “word” of God

May 22, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

“And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.” -John 5:37-40

A Bible Study for Men’s Accountability Partners

October 14, 2017April 3, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

A Bible Study for Men’s Accountability Partners

Men who are accountability partners with one another often start their relationship with good intentions. Most often they want to be accountability partners because of the lustful temptations that swirl around them on a daily bases. Having another Christian man who wants to obey God’s lessons in the Bible, who will ask you hard questions, who will pray with you, and who you know is fighting sexual temptation right alongside of you is truly a great advantage in the war against lust.

So why do accountability partners so often fail? Not to oversimplify the answer, but often times men’s accountability partners fail because this relationship is based on talking, emotional transparency, and difficult conversations. In other words, men’s accountability partnerships require men to do what does not come natural to them.

How to Listen to a Sermon

February 8, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

If you are a Christian, you probably have listened to a lot of sermons. For God has ordained that his message found in the Bible should be regularly and publicly communicated through preaching sermons.

It’s truly amazing when you think that even in an entertainment saturated culture such as the America, every Sunday masses of God’s people gather together to listen to a preacher give a sermon out of God’s word. From the moment of the churches birth in Acts 2, all the way up the present time, sermons have been God’s first choice in communicating (besides the Bible) to his people. If sermons are so important, every Christian should take the time to learn how to listen to a sermon.

Worldly Wisdom vs. Biblical Wisdom

January 22, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

Every day life presents us with an unquantifiable amount of questions. Where you go for answers will make all the difference. Christians will always have to make the choice, will we seek worldly wisdom or biblical wisdom?

Part 3: How to Overcome Sexual Sin

January 11, 2016 by Mark Ballenger

How to Overcome Sexual Sin (Part 3)

If you choose to deny your disease, you will also ignore the Cure, Christ Jesus. Without a deep and sincere disgust for sexual sin, you will never overcome the lusts that plague you.

It’s crucial to notice that the first word in Psalm 51:3 is “For.” This word is like “because.” This means that that what was said in Psalm 51:1-2 is being said “because” of the truth found in Psalm 51:3.

David pleaded for mercy and love because of God’s loving and merciful nature. But he would never have done this action if he was not first convicted of his sin. Psalm 51:2 says, “Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!” Why? Psalm 51:3 explains, “For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.” If you don’t come to grips with how evil your sexual sin really is, you will never truly cry out to God for deliverance.

How to Resist Temptation (James 1:25)

December 18, 2015December 18, 2015 by Mark Ballenger

But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.-James 1:25

It had been a very, very long Sunday. Setting up the church in our rented space for the morning service, navigating a few difficult personalities in the foyer, trying to make new people welcomed, trying to make sure no one goes into the children’s ministry whose not supposed to, trying to stay in a good spirit even though where I was stationed in the church there was no air conditioning and it was now a humid 90 degrees, and a whole host of other random tasks a pastor ends up doing on Sunday where beginning to take their toll. As I was driving into our night service, McDonald’s golden arches seemed to be shining a little brighter to my weary eyes.

How to Fight Against Satan

September 10, 2018December 14, 2015 by Mark Ballenger

Satan is a liar (John 8:44), Satan is a deceiver (Revelation 12:9), and Satan is an accuser of Christians (Revelation 12:10). Satan is the Christian’s chief enemy, for we fight not against flesh and blood, but against Satan’s spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:12). And we are to resist him (James 4:7), but how? How do we fight against Satan?