March 27, 2019
by Kempiz Hernandez
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Category:
Pastor's Pen
Exposing Worldliness
"I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I don't go out with girls that do!" There are many people who define "worldliness" along these categorical lines. Or, they might define worldliness by alluding to their refrain from watching certain movies, hanging around with certain people, or even using social media. Each person has his/her "bents" or leanings a...
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March 13, 2019
by Kempiz Hernandez
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Category:
Pastor's Pen
Temptation's Source
"The devil made him do it!" I still remember hearing those words from a Christian when speaking of another "professing" believer who had completely walked away from Christ to live for the world. According to this other believer, this poor person was a victim of a cruel enemy whom he could not overcome (and God couldn't either!).
For some people, the e...
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February 28, 2019
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Category:
Pastor's Pen
TRUE PIETY
In the Sermon on the Mount, the master teacher offers a master course on true piety. People often think that the sermon is a series of moral lessons, a "how-to" guide on practical religion. However, the main purpose of this pointed discourse is to challenge the traditional perception of holiness. Christ declares that true righteousness is not determined solel...
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December 12, 2018
by Kempiz Hernandez
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Category:
Pastor's Pen
Cultivating a Heart of Contentment
The other day while out shopping I witnessed yet another little toddler literally smacking his mom because she had the audacity (sarcastic) to tell him "no" to his request for another toy. While cute and humorous to some, this is a microcosm of a deep-seated problem in our society that we must beware of, especially during the "holi...
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November 12, 2018
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Category:
Pastor's Pen
Assurance of Faith
We all long for certainty. We want our perception of lifeof ourselves and our circumstancesto be accurate. The five-year old wondering what's inside his Christmas presents and the pregnant mother wondering the gender of her baby both desire the same thingassurance of reality.
This longing for certainty afflicts many believers who ask an honest questi...
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October 31, 2018
by Kempiz Hernandez
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Category:
Pastor's Pen
ALL GLORY TO THE ONE TRUE GOD
During the month of October, our special focus has been on contemplating the Solas of the Reformation. These were wonderful themes that with the passing of time were memorialized as theological points of emphases during the Protestant Reformation. If you imagine a building, you might think of Sola Scriptura as the foundation of that buildi...
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October 24, 2018
by Kempiz Hernandez
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Category:
Pastor's Pen
ALL I HAVE IS CHRIST
We all have favorite hymns and songs that have touched our hearts in a very unique way, and perhaps remind us of particular trying seasons of life. Personally, while I have favorite historic hymns, there are also some contemporary songs that were hugely instrumental, and that particularly spoke to me during a season of life. One of those songs is th...
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October 18, 2018
by Kempiz Hernandez
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Category:
Pastor's Pen
Saving Faith in Christ
Faith or belief has become such an ambiguous term in our day and age, hasn't it? It reminds me of my days as a baseball player back in high school. "All you have to do is believe in yourselves!" said my high school baseball coach back in 1993. We were in the semi-final game of the CIF playoffs, one victory away from playing in Anaheim stadium for ...
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October 11, 2018
by Kempiz Hernandez
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Category:
Pastor's Pen
Grace Greater Than Our Sin
Julia Harriette Johnston (1849-1919) was the daughter of a pastor, and faithful to the Lord, serving in her church in various capacities for more than 40 years. She authored several books, and made some important contributions within her denomination in the area of missions. But perhaps her greatest accomplishment was penning hundreds of hymns. ...
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October 4, 2018
by Kempiz Hernandez
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Category:
Pastor's Pen
The Bible is God's Word
I will never forget August 15, 2007. An earthquake of 8.0 magnitude hit Peru's central coast. More than 500 people were killed, and many thousands were left without a home. A few of us arrived in Pisco a few days after the earthquake, in order to help in any way we could. You could smell death everywhere you walked, as many bodies were yet to b...
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