The Faithful Christian a blog of The Lighthouse Ministries

  Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16) The whole is almost always worth more than its component pieces. In 1924, Dr. Charles H. Mayo estimated the value of the human body in a light hearted piece in the Northwestern Health Journal. He approximated the figure at 84 cents. Thomas Edison quipped, “From his neck down a man is worth a couple of dollars a day, from his neck up he is worth anything that his brain can produce.” More recently, Wired Magazine estimated that the chemical parts of a human body are collectively worth $17.18. But when those chemicals are combined into organs, marrow, and platelets, the value of the average human body sores to approximately $45,618,575.82. Why? Because the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts. In his final memoir  titled The Restless Wave, John McCain recounts the major events that defined the last decade of his national service, ...

  “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and whoever captures souls is wise (Proverbs 11:30)” Fear always accompanies first attempts. New adventures introduce so many unanswered questions, unknown variables, and untried abilities. All key triggers for uncertainty. Because we have never done it, whatever it is, gnawing feelings of doubt are a perfectly human experience. In Zack Snyder’s  Justice League , the Batman assembles a team of metahuman champions to take on a rising tide of super-villains. An ancient entity named Steppenwolf is leading an army of Parademons in a hunt for three Mother Boxes. Fused together, these boxes form a weapon powerful enough to destroy the planet. Humanity needs a hero, or a team of heros. The film’s world of hightech heroics and cgi villainary is humanized when high school student Barry Allen is invited to join the league. Initially, Allen (aka Flash) is super-excited to be in a super-hero league. It is always more exciting to “be” than i...

Stan Lee was been responsible for creating or co-creating some of the world’s most popular superheroes. His super-human imagination gave birth to Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men, Thor, Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, the Incredible Hulk, Daredevil and Ant-Man. Of course, the world has no shortage of storytellers, but Lee was something of a mutant in the field. The Avengers series alone has generated more than $10 billion in ticket sales at the box office since 2008. So what set his stories apart from the rest? Lee was able to tap into two deeply rooted human instincts. He explains his secret in a 1984 interview with ET: “The whole formula, if there was one, I think was to say: ‘let’s assume that somebody really could walk on walls like Spider-Man, or turn green and become a monster like The Hulk. That’s a given, we’ll accept that. But, accepting that, what would that person be like in the real world if he really existed? Wouldn’t he still have to worry about making a living? Or peop...

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. (Matthew 6:24) Avengers; Infinity War is on track to become the highest grossing superhero film of all times. As both the Avengers and Guardians continued to protect the world from perils too large for any one hero, a new, more dangerous threat emerges when Thanos sets out to collect all 6 Infinity Stones. With this power, Thanos plans to take control of the entire universe and impose a twisted plan on the cosmos. The Avengers and Guardians must unite to secure victory. When the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy meet for the first time, neither group knows the others allegiance. During the battle, Dr. Strange realizes that both teams may be fightingfor the same cause. Have you noticed that, in both the Marvel universe and ours, what we serve changes how we live. Allegiance direct actions. So Dr. Strange asks Star-Lord to declare his: Doctor Strang...

Does our wicked generation have any precedent in biblical history? Comparisons with Noah’s day are hard to deny. Judgment is coming—of that we can be sure. How should a believer react? “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” ( Matthew 24:37 ).   Regardless of how one interprets Matthew 24, there’s no doubt that Christ referred to the rebellion and judgment in Noah’s day, which He compared to mankind’s subsequent rebellion and impending judgment. It’s a sober warning for any generation to consider.  In the New Testament we read how Noah responded to the evil of his day: “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” ( Hebrews 11:7 ).  Noah’s faithfulness in building the Ark and his trust in God give us an example of great faith, showing how his obedience ...

    In some churches, it is a word that conjures up images of an angry and capricious God who acts arbitrarily to save some, but consigns most sinners, including deceased infants, to eternal Hell. For many professing Christians, it is the mother of all swear words.   Let the pastor breathe it in the presence of the deacon board and he risks firing, fisticuffs or worse. A God who chooses is anti-American, anti-democracy. It bespeaks a long-faced, puritanical religion, a doctrinal novelty invented by a maniacal 16th-century minister whose progeny manufactured a theological “-ism” that has plunged countless souls into a godless eternity.   In other churches, it is a cherished word that describes a beloved doctrine, one that bestows comfort and unshakable confidence that not one maverick molecule, not one rebel subatomic particle exists outside of God’s loving providential control, even in the matter of salvation. Want to start a lively conversation? Then utter the word:...

  Buried in a letter to the Church of Ephesus ( Revelation 2 ), John has a number of remarks against this church located in a city that had a famous temple to Diana (the Roman version of the Greek god Artemis). Ephesus, compared to a number of other churches that received letters in Revelation, had quite a few good marks from God. Aside from growing a bit stagnant in their fervor for God, they had resisted wicked practices, endured persecution, and weeded out false apostles from destroying their church. The letter also makes one more positive remark. They hate the practices of a group called the Nicolaitans, which God also appears to hate ( Revelation 2:6 ). Although it’s not out of the ordinary for God to hate practices of pagan groups, such as the child sacrifice of the Canaanites ( Leviticus 20:2-5 ), this group mentioned seems to stand out from other sects that have arisen in Scripture and throughout church history. Nicolaitans have drawn a great deal of scholarly debate, becau...