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Trying To Work Your Way Up To Heaven? Here’s The Greatest News You Will Ever Hear

It’s the natural urge that all of us have, trying to be good enough to earn our way into Heaven to be with God forever. Tragically, it invariably leads either to moral hypocrisy or utter frustration, despair or hopelessness.

But that’s not the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The simple truth is this: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”(Ephesians 2:8).

The gift of God’s grace comes only through belief in the resurrected Christ: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9).

Want to know more? Check out the following video from American Gospel TV. It’s the best news you will ever receive. Yes, it’s lengthy, but well-worth the time:

Want to talk face-to-face? Got more questions? Skeptical but curious? Let’s talk. No judgement. No sermons. Just honest answers to important questions. Email me at mt.hillfaith@gmail.com. Mark Tapscott

THINK ABOUT THIS: What If The Appearance Of Fine-Tuning In The Universe Is Simply A Matter Of Physical Necessity??

There are dozens of measures of the Earth and throughout the universe that are so precisely calibrated that even the tiniest deviation would render life as we know it impossible.

But what if what appears to us as precisely calibrated is in actual fact no more than the way the Earth and indeed the universe came into existence from the beginning?

Here’s how J. Warner Wallace of Cold-Case Christianity puts it: “At both the foundational level, at the regional level and at the local level of our planet, things appear to have been tampered with, set up perfectly, not so that a death would occur, but so that life would occur.”

But what if it “just happened that way?” Is that a reasonable conclusion based on the available evidence. Wallace answers that question in the following video:

 

January 6, 2021 – A Day Never To Forget

For those who expressed concern about why no new HillFaith posts have appeared since before January 6, I am fine after covering the events of that day as a journalist until late into the night. Yesterday was a day of recovery and refreshment, as I was physically, mentally and spiritually exhausted when I arrived home late in the night.

Today I am back. Thank you to all who prayed on my behalf Wednesday and who pray every day for all of those who work on Capitol Hill and who pray without ceasing for America.

The news was confirmed last night that Capitol Hill Police (CHP) Officer Brian Sicknick died of injuries he sustained while confronting rioters on Wednesday. May God give him rest and his family and friends comfort. Continue reading “January 6, 2021 – A Day Never To Forget”

First Official Prayer Opening The First Continental Congress in 1774

“O Lord our Heavenly Father, high and mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech Thee, on these our American States, who have fled to Thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on Thee.

“To Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give. Take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their Cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, of own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle!

“Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst the people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come. All this we ask in the name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior.”

Amen.

Reverend Jacob Duché
Rector of Christ Church of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
September 7, 1774, 9 o’clock a.m.

Source: Office of the House Chaplin, Prayer Archives of the House of Representatives.

Illustration of the 1774 prayer above also from the Chaplin.

 

A New Year. A New Congress. A New Beginning. Let Us Pray, Together

All but a few of the Members of the 117th Congress were sworn-in to office today, Sunday, and tomorrow, January 4, 2021, marks the first Monday of what could be one of the most dramatic weeks in American history.

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

Congress meets in Joint Session Wednesday to receive the votes of the Electoral College electors. Dozens of House Republicans and at least 12 Senate Republicans plan to protest various slates of electors. Passions are growing on all sides.

There are questions and controversies about virtually every aspect of the process, even though 2021 is far from the first time the nation has seen such uncertainty about who won a presidential election, or controversy over how to resolve it. Continue reading “A New Year. A New Congress. A New Beginning. Let Us Pray, Together”

A HAPPY NEW YEAR CHALLENGE: What If Genesis 1 Is Right?

Finally! It’s 2021 and 2020 is completely behind us. Today is the first day of a new beginning. And speaking of new beginnings, the original one is described in the first verses of the Book of Genesis in the Bible.

*What if Genesis 1 is an accurate account of Creation? Put aside everything else you’ve been taught or thought about it and let yourself consider this one, simple question: What if Genesis 1 is right? Here are 10 crucially important things we know if it is right:

First, we know that God and Creation are not one and the same thing because He existed before Creation. That means pantheism — Creation and God are identical — is ruled out as a credible explanation. Continue reading “A HAPPY NEW YEAR CHALLENGE: What If Genesis 1 Is Right?”

ARE YOU HAVING ANY PROBLEMS ACCESSING HILLFAITH FROM EMAILS ABOUT NEW POSTS?

I’m getting reports from a few readers that when they receive an email about a new post on HillFaith, they get nothing when they click on the headline.

If you are having such or similar problems, please drop me an email describing it to: mt.hillfaith@gmail.com. Be sure and indicate which browser you are using.

Thank you!

 

Can You ID The City And The Year In Which This Photo Was Taken?

If you can identify the city and the year in which this photo was taken, send your answer to: mt.hillfaith@gmail.com. First person with the right answer gets a free lunch, on HillFaith! (No, this offer is not too good to be true!!!)

UPDATE: We Have A Winner! Two Actually.

At precisely 10:16 am this morning, James Hurley emailed that this photo is of the New York City skyline in 1956 at Christmas Eve. Literally only seconds later, Pastor Kelham’s email with the same correct info appeared in the HillFaith inbox.

So, given the impossibility of determining which of these fine gentlemen actually clicked their send button first, I hereby declare them co-winners of lunch on HillFaith. Way to go, guys.

Honorable Mention: Robert Arvantis got the city right but was slightly off on the year. Sorry about that, Robert. How about a cup of coffee on HillFaith?

 

Are You Fine? Yes, I’m Fine. I’m Fine. No, I’m Not. I’m Broken

You may have heard “Truth Be Told,” a revealing, deeply personal song from the Christian recording artist Matthew West. It’s about being authentic, something that is far too rare in politics. Ironic, isn’t it, since nothing in Congress, especially among staffers involved in negotiations, is more important than the trust that comes from being genuine.

In this video, West explains why he wrote and recorded this piece of musical confession and social criticism. If you’ve read how HillFaith came about, it perhaps won’t surprise you that I so highly recommend this song. Been there. Done that.

And if you’ve ever told somebody you were doing “great” the day after losing out on a promotion you thought you had, or suddenly realized somebody you thought was a friend wasn’t, or discovered that something you thought was long past wasn’t, then Matthew West has something to say for you:

 

Think Again If You Think There’s No Evidence For Christianity

Even if you’ve been a follower of Jesus Christ who has attended church regularly since childhood, the odds are very good you have little or no idea of just how massive the evidence from multiple fields is for Christianity. There has been a veritable explosion in Christian apologetics research in recent decades.

Same applies if you are an agnostic or an atheist because you almost certainly approach whatever arguments you’ve ever encountered on behalf of, for example, the Resurrection or the reliability of the Bible, with certain presuppositions that makes it all but impossible for you to see the whole picture.

Now along comes Cold-Case Christianity’s J. Warner Wallace, a man who for much of his adult life was an atheist, to demonstrate just how complex and detailed is the case for the most influential faith in all human history. Pay especially close attention when the chalkboard comes on the screen:

 

THINK ABOUT THIS: Why Is It Good To Be Good, Anyway?

Cross-examined.org’s Frank Turek speaks on college campuses around the country every year, so he is regularly exposed to the latest arguments from critics of Christianity, as reflected in students who ask questions during his appearances.

In the following video from a recent Turek appearance, a very sharp and inquisitive student seeks to refute the Moral Argument for the existence of God. In the process, Turek demonstrates to his questioner that unconscious presuppositions can be logical landmines:

 

Christmas: The Birth of the Future Judge of the World

Yes, at Christmas, we celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus, but that’s only the beginning of His Earthly existence. He’s alive because of the Resurrection, and someday He’s returning to Earth to judge each and every human being He ever created for eternity.

Here, from Victor’s Corner from the other side of the world in Nigeria, is Victor Uyannawanne – follower of His Lord Jesus Christ, husband, father, family man, and superb writer – explaining the ultimate role of Jesus on Earth:

Victors Corner

The meaning of Christmas

The world as we know it now will one day be judged. Guess who will be the future Judge of the world?


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