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Devotionals2018-11-08T00:03:44-08:00
10Dec, 2019

Biblical Apologetics

December 10th, 2019|Categories: Biblical Apologetics|

Dear Cornerstone Family, I have had the privilege of working alongside persecuted Christians for many years in Asia. I believe one can learn more in a month witnessing their lives and experiences than in a year at the finest and most expensive seminaries in the world. The first-century church was truly persecuted; one that knew that they had to trust in God at every step of the way. A modern example is China, and to a lesser magnitude Vietnam. The church in China numbered approximately 750,000 members in 1950. After intense persecution under Mao’s atheistic regime, today, the church in China numbers well over 100,000,000. On the flip side, churches in Europe and Canada, and to a lesser degree the USA, have significantly declined over the same time period. There is a significant lack of understanding of the scriptures. Consider the following excerpt from the Atlantic Monthly: Many high school [...]

6Sep, 2019

Spirit-Led Relationships

September 6th, 2019|Categories: True Gospel True Freedom|

Dear Cornerstone Family, Last week we talked about the spiritual tug-of-war that we all struggle with every day. Our sinful desires want to go one way, and the Holy Spirit is tugging us to go the Lord’s way that brings peace, hope, and love. As long as we live in these bodies, we will always face this struggle. But the good news is that we can get stronger with friends that want to go in the same direction as the Holy Spirit. Do you have people in your life that want to help you go in the right direction? That is one of the benefits of belonging to a church. We all need people in our lives that love Jesus and want to follow Jesus. This is what the Apostle Paul was talking about when he said in Galatians 6:1-2 (NIV), “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you [...]

16Aug, 2019

Freedom That Unifies

August 16th, 2019|Categories: True Gospel True Freedom|

Dear Cornerstone Family,   Two thousand years ago, Paul warned the church about false brothers who were trying to pull Christians away from the true Gospel. In Galatians 2:4-5 (NLT2) we read about some who were trying to add circumcision to the requirements of salvation, “Even that question came up only because of some so-called Christians there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations. But we refused to give in to them for a single moment. We wanted to preserve the truth of the gospel message for you.” We must be vigilant in keeping to the truth of the grace and mercy found in Jesus alone.   Who are false brothers today? I would say, anyone who teaches that you need [...]

9Aug, 2019

Freedom’s Story

August 9th, 2019|Categories: True Gospel True Freedom|

Dear Cornerstone Family,   We all have a story to tell when we come to know the love and mercy found in Jesus Christ. Jesus sets us free from guilt and shame. He sets us free from the pressure of trying to earn our salvation but always coming up short. This is freedom’s story.   A testimony doesn’t need to be long. It is simply our story of how we placed our trust in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection for your salvation. It is our story of knowing Jesus and how God’s grace and mercy are making a difference in us.   The Apostle Paul shares his freedom story in 1 Timothy 1:12-16 (NIV). He said, “I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent [...]

2Aug, 2019

The Gospel Of Freedom

August 2nd, 2019|Categories: True Gospel True Freedom|

Dear Cornerstone Family,   Have you ever had your car go out of alignment? You can tell when your steering wheel pulls to the left or to the right. Also, your tires start to wear unevenly. This is true spiritually as well. We can get out of alignment with the gospel and start to pull to the right where we start to add laws and duties to our salvation or pull to the left and start to live without laws and celebrate sin.   In Galatians 5:1 (NLT2) we read, “So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law.” We are saved by God’s grace and mercy through the work of Jesus Christ. We can’t add or subtract from what Jesus has accomplished for us. If we try to add works to our salvation, [...]

31May, 2019

God Can Use Anybody

May 31st, 2019|Categories: The Miracle Of Mercy|

Dear Cornerstone Family,   God waits for us to grow, he nourishes us, and at the right timing, he uses us in a mighty way. It’s our story of His grace and mercy changing our lives that we can share with others and relate to them.   In 1 Timothy 1:15-16 (NLT2) Paul writes: “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life.”   Join us this Sunday as we learn God can use anybody!   Following THE Leader with you,   Pastor Ed Turley Cornerstone Church of Poway   P.S. Check [...]

23May, 2019

Mercy Cleanses

May 23rd, 2019|Categories: The Miracle Of Mercy|

Dear Cornerstone Family,   One of the earliest miracles emphasized in the New Testament is the healing of the single leper:   40 “And a leper came to Jesus, beseeching Him and falling on his knees before Him, and saying, “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” 41 Moved with compassion, Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed. Mark 1:40-42 (NASB)   There is a tremendous psychological side to this miracle. One, especially a Jew, just doesn’t touch a leper. This man had not experienced human touch in many years. Nor had he been able to touch anyone. I can imagine his family brought out food and drink for him to have and left it in an area, and after they had left, he would come out of the [...]

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