New Identity Magazine

God The Gardener

Delbert Teachout — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 16:50:36 +0000

In John 15:1 Jesus says that God is the gardener and he prunes every branch that does not produce fruit. A person stuck in his or her ways of sin is like a prickly shrub growing a lot of branches with no fruit. These branches must be removed so good fruit can grow. In the same way as a bush is unable to prune itself, a person who is living in sin is unable to remove all the unfruitful branches in…

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Amazing Grace

Delbert Teachout — Tue, 11 Feb 2020 16:12:26 +0000

When encountering people from other ethnic, national, or religions, grace is a word that’s hard to understand because it means different things to different people. Consider this scenario. When I consider my life, my reward looks dismal. As I remember the things I’ve done, things I’m too ashamed to tell, I think, “There’s no way God will let me into heaven!” In my imagination I see myself…

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Ministry 101

Delbert Teachout — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 17:49:28 +0000

Have you ever heard anyone say that twenty percent of the people in a church do eighty percent of the work? Could it be that some of those who are not working don’t understand that they have a ministry? The Bible tells us that, “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10) In other words, everyone has a ministry.

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Jesus Is

Delbert Teachout — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:25:10 +0000

Photo Credit: Christopher JL @ Flickr (CC) My paraphrase of the beginning of John says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word was light and came into the darkness but the darkness rejected the light.” In the early chapters of John, I believe the author lays down a foundation of three major themes to give them emphasis: light, belief…

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The Grapes of Wrath

Delbert Teachout — Mon, 09 Dec 2013 17:20:23 +0000

Photo Credit: Kuster & Wildhaber Photography @ Flickr (CC) Many Christians may have questions concerning what is sinful compared to what is only bad manners. The topic of anger is one of those areas in question. Is all anger sinful or is there such a thing as righteous anger (anger for a good reason)? Is feeling angry ever okay for a believer? Psychologist Robert Plutchick constructed a…

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7 Habits of Highly Effective Christians

Delbert Teachout — Mon, 19 Aug 2013 22:16:13 +0000

Photo Credit: Sodanie Chea @ Flickr (CC) How can we become highly effective Christians? In other words, how do we emulate Christ more in secular settings and be “on mission” as believers to share our love of Jesus with others? Let’s look at the Bible and see whether we have any examples with whom to emulate. Daniel lived in a foreign land and kept his practices. Job trusted God despite his…

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SHOULD WE QUESTION GOD?

Delbert Teachout — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:08:45 +0000

Photo Credit: Sean McCabe We may have heard that we should not question God because questioning may cause our faith to weaken. I have heard someone say we should never end a prayer with words something like, “If it be your will,” because those words imply we don’t believe we will get what we ask. As new believers what do we do with these kinds of ideas? Should we believe everything we hear?

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UNBROKEN & UNASHAMED

Delbert Teachout — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:49:33 +0000

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand is a memorable story about a forgotten hero, Louis Zamperini. Many people, like me, may never have heard of Louis, but his story is unforgettable. Some say heroes are made not born, but in Louis’ case I think a hero was born. His story reminds me that God has created each of us for a purpose.

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IS THERE REALLY FREE WILL?

Delbert Teachout — Sat, 01 Sep 2012 22:24:08 +0000

Photo by: Laenulfean @ Flickr (Creative Commons) What is the most important decision you have ever made? I knew a man who decided to go to college after high school. His grades were too low so the college expelled him. Having nowhere else to turn, he thought he would join the Air Force. While in the Air Force he was rapidly promoted. He got married but he and his wife had problems and they…

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WHY IS GOD SILENT SOMTIMES?

Delbert Teachout — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:55:03 +0000

Why is God silent when we pray? In the Bible we find God speaking with multitudes of people. Starting in Genesis we read about God talking with Adam. In Revelation, we read about God talking to John. Throughout the entire Bible we can read about God speaking to people. Were those events restricted to the Bible, or does God still talk to people? If he does still speak, why does he seem to be silent…

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