Category: Faith (Page 1 of 5)

Is Truth Offensive?

May 15, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 2 Comments

Have you noticed? The Bible contradicts a lot of popular opinion. Many people become offended when someone or something contradicts their understanding or belief, while others find it challenging. There are so many misunderstandings and false teachings about what God’s Word says on various topics; however, in God’s infinite wisdom, He gave us His Word and freedom of choice. We can hear and study God’s Word independently to see if what we are told is true, or we can accept, believe, and practice what others tell us is true, but I ask: How smart is that?

The Bible is God’s Word, and it should be our foundation for discernment.

The Bible spans thousands of years and has many different contributors.
It does so without contradiction.
The prophecies and science we find in Scripture are now known facts.

The Bible was written over about 1,500 years by approximately 40 authors from widely different backgrounds, cultures, and languages, yet it maintains a cohesive story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation. It’s hard to explain all this unity apart from divine inspiration.

Of course, it does take an open mind to replace what we’ve been told with what we will discover through an intuitive investigation. With our freedom of choice comes accountability for our actions or lack thereof.

Rather than choosing to be offended, why not choose to accept the challenge and pursue the truth? We can search and trust God’s Word, or we can accept man’s ideas; the choice is ours, but one we will be held accountable for.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
“knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:20-21

John 17:17
Psalm 119:160
Proverbs 30:5
Deuteronomy 30:19
Joshua 24:15
Galatians 6:7

2 Timothy 2:15
Acts 17:11
Job 26:7
Isaiah 40:22
Hebrews 11:3

God First!

Our God is an Awesome God

May 8, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Though this knockout rose bush is gone now, it has a story. It was given to us several years ago by our neighbors. I set it on the back porch, intending to plant it, then forgot about it for almost two years. At that point, it looked like sticks in a bucket; I almost threw it away. Instead, I made the effort and planted it. God provided it with incredible growth, turning what was seemingly dead into a beautiful, thriving bush full of roses that we enjoyed for several years.

I’ve seen and experienced God’s Word provide the same incredible increase in people.

It’s an amazing sight to see when someone, once consumed by their own desires, puts on Christ and puts God first in their lives. God then provides growth, and they blossom into beautiful, caring followers of Christ.

Our God is an Awesome God!

Psalm 92:12-14
Isaiah 55:10-11
Ephesians 2:4-5
1 Corinthians 3:6-7
2 Corinthians 5:17

God First!

Carried by the Angels

May 1, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

During COVID, I saw several posts and news stories of people separated from loved ones in care facilities because of quarantines; they were not allowed to be with loved ones during their final moments on earth. This saddened me, and I empathized with the pain in their hearts, knowing they wanted to be with their loved ones. So, I leave you this thought, which helped me when we lost my father.

Our family was not physically with Dad when his soul departed his failing mind and body for Paradise. Although we were not with him physically the morning of his passing, I’m confident Dad was not alone.

I believe that, just as in Jesus’s illustration of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, the angels of God were with Dad and carried him to paradise. How awesome will that be?

I believe this because Dad was a Christian, a man who lived as a true disciple of Christ, diligently following Jesus and striving to keep His commandments in accordance with scripture. I also expect we will see each other again in new heavenly bodies as we spend eternity with our Lord and Savior.

God is good; God is Love!

Luke 16:19-31 (Rich Man and Lazarus)
Philippians 3:20-21, 1 John 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:44-49 (new body)
2 Corinthians 5:1-10
Revelation 21:1-27

God First!

We all gain at different levels, but we all gain by studying Scripture.

Understanding God’s Word

April 28, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

There are many misrepresentations of God’s word in the world today, and yes, scripture needs to be studied to be interpreted properly, not just read. If any scripture seems to contradict itself at any point, we are misinterpreting it and should study it more deeply to identify what we are missing.

Who it was written to, when it was written, and for what purpose can help us gain more insight than what we might get from scripture’s face value alone. Sort of like the milk vs. solid-food scripture.

God, through His infinite wisdom and in His Word, has given us what we need for our understanding so that we can know what we must do to be saved. The whole Bible is from God, and no matter our educational level, if we have access to God’s word, we have access to God’s intent for us, without needing to know the background and history of every word we read.

Today, there are many translations of Scripture, written in multiple languages, some created with little scrutiny and sometimes with an agenda rather than strict interpretation. In contrast, others, such as the KJV, were completed using “rules of language” with strict interpretation and incredible scrutiny. Most later versions use the KJV as their base.

I have complete trust in God and don’t believe God would allow the translations from the languages of old to be included in the King James Bible if they did not convey His Words and intent properly, so I believe the correct interpretations from those old languages have been preserved. We don’t need to be Greek Scholars to understand God’s intent.

“Every word of God is flawless; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.”
Proverbs 30:5

Consider 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

While understanding the meat behind this scripture, such as who the letter was written to, Timothy’s history, and all the interesting additional information one can derive with deep study to gain deeper insight, the milk of this passage of Scripture stands on its own, pointing out that we need to study, to show ourselves, workmen, not ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

God’s Word is the whole of Scripture. God only needs to say something once for it to be true. That said, to understand what God says once correctly, one may also need to know more of Scripture; however, some attempt to change the face-value meaning of Scripture by using other possible Greek interpretations to claim the interpretation of all those past Scholars is wrong, in order to convey a message that tickles their ears and, sadly, misleads others.

As stated in Scripture, God did not give us a book of confusion, and no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation and provides understanding even to the simple. We all gain at different levels, but we all gain by studying scripture.

2 Peter 1:20
1 Corinthians 14:33
Psalm 119:30
2 Timothy 3:16
1 Corinthians 3:21
1 Peter 2:2
Hebrews 5:12-13

God First!

Pray and do – Draw closer to God

April 25, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Rather than worry, draw closer to God (Philippians 4:6-7)
Rather than whine, pray (James 4:8)
Rather than following your desires, follow God’s for you (Titus 2:11-14)
God is waiting for you to follow His Word as He intended. (John 6:40)

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16

“Then Jesus told His disciples, ‘If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” Matthew 16:24 ESV

Romans 10:17 – The Word of Christ
John 8:32 – know the Truth
Hebrews 11:6– He rewards those who seek Him
John 20:30-31 – Written that we may believe
Luke 13:3 – we must repent
Acts 17:30 – Ignorance is no excuse
Romans 10:10 – believe in the heart and confess
Matthew 10:32 – Tit for tat
Galatians 3:27 – Baptism is to put on Christ
Mark 16:16 – Believe and be baptized equals being saved.
Acts 2:38 – For the forgiveness of your sins
Revelation 2:10 – The Crown of Life
2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is God’s word, Not Some of it!

God First!

What can we give to God?

April 10, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

During the days of creation, we find the phrase, “And God saw that it was good,” repeated several times. However, it was not until God created man in His image that scripture tells us, “God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was VERY GOOD. (Genesis 1:31)

We are God’s creation!

“For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 )

God is the creator of everything we see and comprehend; everything our minds think we know and understand; it’s all from God. So, what can we offer to God that He wants?

God wants us to recognize that He is the only God and that Jesus is His Son, who was with God at Creation. (John 1:1-5) He wants us to know that salvation comes only through the innocence of Jesus, who was sacrificed for our sins and then raised by God to sit at his right hand in heaven; King of Kings, Lord of Lords, only through Christ do we have hope of eternal life with God. He wants us to know that Jesus has prepared a heavenly home for us beyond this world if we choose to accept His grace and keep His commandments. God wants us to know that on the day of judgment, our souls will be given new heavenly bodies for our never-ending life, and He tells us so in His Word. ( See 2 Corinthians 5:1-10, Philippians 3:20-21, John 14:3-10)

So again, what can we offer God that God really wants?

God has given us every reason to love Him; He has given us the freedom to choose good over evil, and He wants us to love Him.

LOVE, love is the only thing we can give that God seeks from us, not by force but by choice.

May we all seek God first in our lives, love each other as Christ has loved us, and show Jesus that we love Him by keeping His commandments. This is what God seeks, it’s what God wants, and what God wants to reward us for.

The Greatest Command: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. ³⁰And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ ³¹The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-34

Genesis 1:1-31
John 3:16
John 14:15
John 13:34

God First!

Jesus is our Rock, our foundation.

April 6, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Let us mimic Christ
Let us be the rocks of faith set firmly on the cornerstone of Christ!
Let us be the stability of Christlike love that others can count on
Let us not waver from righteousness when the winds of desire or difficulty blow.
Let us be the example of Christlike love in all that we do

Stand Firm!

Study and learn God’s word so you can know God’s will for yourself rather than relying on someone else.

Pursue God’s will, for if God is with you, who can be against you?

(see Romans 8:31)

Be the Rock of faith that inspires others to learn and become rocks of faith themselves, especially to our little ones who see you as their examples.

Love others as Christ loves you.

Be mindful of this fact: The closer we draw to God, the closer he draws to us. (see James 4:8)

Trust in God!

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. “
John 13:34 ESV

Ephesians 2:20
Matthew 7:24-27
Proverbs 10:22
2 Timothy 2:22
1 Corinthians 10:1-6

God First!

In 2021, my sister-in-law and her two teenage children would meet with some brothers and sisters in Christ for evening walks. On one ride, she tried to spark a conversation with her son and asked him, “If you were to die tomorrow, what would you wish you had gotten done today?”

The unexpected answer

April 4, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 1 Comment

In 2021, my sister-in-law and her two teenage children would meet with some brothers and sisters in Christ for evening walks. On one ride, she tried to spark a conversation with her son and asked him, “If you were to die tomorrow, what would you wish you had gotten done today?”

She expected a secular answer, but his response was: “Be Baptized.”

This question led to further discussion of God’s Word and what scripture tells us is necessary for eternal Salvation. That night, my nephew made the best decision we can ever make in life. He chose to be baptized into Christ and follow Christ for the rest of his life.

Michael believed, repented, confessed Jesus as the Son of God, and was baptized into Christ in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of his sins, and was added to the Lord’s Church, as we find in Scripture.

Later, Michael Jr. told me he had been thinking about it for a while. You never know what’s on someone’s mind.

The timing of his mother’s question and a follow-up question of “Why wait?” Seemingly perfect.

Self-Study Scriptures:

God’s Grace: Ephesians 2:8, Romans 3:24, Titus 2:11, Acts 15:11
Hearing the Gospel: Romans 10:17, John 8:32
Belief/Faith: Hebrews 11:1, John 8:24, Romans 10:17, Acts 3:19
Repentance: 2 Corinthians 7:9-10, Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30
Confess: Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 10:32-33, Luke 12:8-9
Baptism by immersion for the forgiveness of sin: Matthew 16:15-16, 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Matt 28:18-20, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12, Acts 8:36-39, Mark 1:9-10, John 3:23

God First!

Wow, if only the Apostle Peter knew

April 3, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

On the day of Pentecost, when Peter preached the first gospel sermon, do you wonder why? Why is it that when Peter and the other Apostles (in Acts 2) were asked by the crowd whose hearts had just been pierced by the message of Christ,” Brothers, what do we do?”

Why did Peter NOT answer the crowd’s question with: “Accept Jesus into your heart and recite with me these words in a prayer, and you will be forgiven, you will be saved.”

WOW, if only the Apostle Peter, who was filled with the Holy Spirit, had known what many people claim today. That they could “just” accept Jesus into their hearts and recite a prayer to be saved; however, that’s “NOT” how Peter answered.

Peter never said, “baptism is an outward sign of an inward decision.” In fact, no such prayer is found in God’s Word. INSTEAD, Peter (filled with the Holy Spirit) tells them exactly what God wanted them to do… “And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38 ESV)

None of Peter’s responses indicates that any of God’s instructions were mutually exclusive.

In verse 41, God’s Holy Word says: “So those who received His word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41 ESV)

So, right after they received the message of Christ, they immediately followed the Apostle’s instructions and were immersed in the waters of baptism. They could have set appointments; they could have done so in small groups over weeks, but instead, we find urgency is implied: “So those who received His word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” (Acts 2:41)

That day, about 3000 souls were added to the Church! (Don’t you know that took a while?)

These scriptures show us that hearing, believing, repenting, and being baptized in the name of Jesus Christ is how we obtain the Holy Spirit.

Who did the adding? Who was being saved? Verse 47 “praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47 ESV)

Please, don’t take my word for it. Take God’s word for it. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

“Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.” (2 Peter 1:20)

Below are several passages on Grace, belief, repentance, confessing Jesus’ name, and baptism for study.

• Grace: – Ephesians 2:8, Romans 3:24, Titus 2:11, Acts 15:11

• Belief/Faith: – Hebrews 11:1, John 8:24, Romans 10:17, Acts 3:19

• Repentance: – 2 Cor. 7:9-10, Luke 13:3-5, Acts 17:30

• Confess: – Romans 10:9-10, Matthew 10:32-33, Luke 12:8-9

• Baptism by immersion: – Matthew 16:15-16 1 Peter 3:21, Acts 2:38, Mark 16:16, John 3:5, Matt 28:18-20, Ephesians 4:5, Romans 6:3-4, Colossians 2:12, Acts 8:36-39, Mark 1:9-10, John 3:23

God First!

Overcoming temptation

March 26, 2026 / Wayne Johnson / 0 Comments

Jesus would not be swayed from His purpose, and His purpose was to do the will of His Father! As Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights, Satan tried but could not sway Jesus. When Jesus was weak and hungry, Satan pushed to exploit Jesus’s hunger and provoke Him to perform a miracle.

Satan: “Tell these stones to become bread.”

Instead, Jesus quotes Scripture, telling Satan that life comes from “Every Word of God.”

Satan then endeavors to get Jesus to prove He is the Son of God by throwing Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. However, Jesus instead quotes scripture: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Satan then shows Jesus the splendor in all the Kingdoms of the World and offers them to Jesus if He will bow down to him.

Jesus tells him: “BE GONE” and quotes scripture a 3rd time.
“You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”

This is an excellent example of not allowing Satan to sway us from our purpose, but rather of putting God first, seeking all His righteousness, learning His Word, holding fast to it, and trusting God. The full scripture demonstrates that Satan knows scripture and will use scripture to mislead us.

This Scripture is a great example of how knowing scripture can help us overcome temptations and discern the truth. It points out that we are NOT to test God and are to worship and serve God only.

God knows what’s best for us; if we love Him, we will keep His commandments, and through study, we can shew ourselves approved unto God. If God is for us, who can be against us?

May God be with us all!

Matthew 4:1-11
2 Timothy 2:15
Romans 8:31
John 14:15

God First!

Category: Faith (Page 1 of 5)

Is Truth Offensive?

Our God is an Awesome God

Carried by the Angels

Understanding God’s Word

Pray and do – Draw closer to God

What can we give to God?

The unexpected answer

Wow, if only the Apostle Peter knew

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