The Andy Manning Blog

God has a plan for you.  He created you to glorify Him, love Him, and serve Him.  But when you first become a Christian, you are not very good at these things.  That's why the Bible commands us to grow. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity.”  2 Peter 3:18  This verse tells us there are two ways God wants us to grow.  (1) Grow in grace.  In other words, grow in the qualities that are empowered by God's grace.  In times past, the Christian virtues have been called graces because they are  empowered by the grace of God (2 Pt 1:3).  The graces include virtues like the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23).  So, to grow in grace means to grow in Christlikeness.  (2) Grow in the knowledge of Christ.  This is a command to grow in biblical understanding, and in your intimacy with Christ. From this verse we can learn eight insights about spiritual growth. One:  Growth requires life.  Dead things can

In Revelation 5, God is on His throne holding a seven-sealed scroll.  The only one worthy to open the scroll is Jesus, the lamb of God.  In Revelation 6 and following Jesus proceeds to open one seal at a time.  With the opening of each seal the apostle John sees another vision of terrible doom and destruction.  What do the seven seals mean?   In my previous post I made the case that the scroll represents God's divorce certificate against unfaithful, covenant-breaking Israel.  The main theme of Revelation is God's divorce and destruction of Israel, and His taking a new bride, the church.  The seven seals represent the terrible judgments that are pronounced upon Israel, and which were fulfilled in 70 AD when the Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.  In this post I will briefly explain the meaning of each of the seven seals.   The First Seal: Revelation 6:1-2 The lamb opened the first seal.  Its rider held a bow, wore a crown, and went out as a conqueror.   The white ho

In Revelation 5 the apostle John sees a vision of God seated on His throne and holding a scroll in His right hand.  The scroll is sealed with seven seals.  The only one worthy to open the scroll is Jesus, the lamb of God.  In Revelation 6 Jesus begins opening one seal at a time, and the breaking of each seal leads to another vision of doom and destruction.  What is the scroll? I agree with Dr. Kenneth Gentry that the scroll in Revelation 5 is God's divorce certificate against adulterous Israel.  Let me explain. First, remember that the prophecies of Revelation “must soon take place,” because “the time is near” (Rev 1:1-3).  Therefore the prophecies refer to events that would be fulfilled in the first century.  If you believe, as I do, that Revelation was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, then it is highly probable that the prophecies of Revelation have their fulfillment in that fateful event. Second, remember that the theme of Revelation is about the judgment on

God is good!  Every good thing in life comes from Him, and He has given us many good things (James 1:17). What should we give to a God who has given us so much?  Romans 12:1 tells us. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.” What should we give to a God who has given us so much?  The answer is worship.  "In view of the mercies of God," we are urged to "worship."  God desires our worship (Jn 4:23-24). What does it mean by worship?  Romans 12:1 tells us.  Unfortunately we have reduced worship to mean music and singing, and to what goes on at church on Sundays.  While worship does involve these things, Romans 12:1 describes "true worship," the truest kind of worship, the worship that most pleases God.  The core definition of New Testament worship is the total dedication of one's life to God. How should we define the total

Matthew 6:33 has always been my favorite verse in the Bible.  It contains the answer to anxiety and the pathway to provision. But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. The Bible tells us not to worry (Mt 6:25; Phil 4:6).  Matthew 6:33 gives us the solution.  The big idea is this: If you prioritize spiritual things, then God will make sure you don't have to worry about material things. The verse can be divided into two parts: the command, and the consequence. The Command: "But seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness." Let's start with the word " But ."  It means "rather than," or "instead of," or "in contrast to."  We are supposed to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness instead of doing something else.  What?  Worry.  That's the topic of Jesus' teaching in this passage (Mt 6:25-34).  Instead of worry, we must seek first the things o

The most popular end-times view today is called dispensationalism, a system of doctrines invented in the early 1,800's by an Englishman named John Nelson Darby.  At the heart of dispensationalism is the idea that God has two different peoples, with two different plans, and two different purposes -- Israel and the church.  According to dispensationalism, God made big promises to Israel in the Old Testament that still haven't been fulfilled (e.g. the promise of land).  Jesus came to fulfill those promises, but the Jews rejected Him.  Therefore God put His plan for Israel on hold while He works out a separate plan for a separate people -- the church.  Any day now the church will be raptured out of the world, and then God will continue His plan for Israel.  At the end of a seven-year tribulation in which two-thirds of the Jews will be killed by the Antichrist, Jesus will come back, set up an earthly kingdom in Jerusalem for 1,000 years, and fulfill all of God's Old Testament pr