Author: Phil Rehberg

Weekly words of encouragement

Holding On To The Eternal – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” I Jn 2:17 (NIV) Worldliness is always a temptation and it comes in many forms. In one sense we can say that anytime we make something in the world one of our highest priorities then we are being worldly. And it certainly takes inspired willpower to resist the temptation to join with others in their worldliness. We are tempted to avoid the pain of being devalued by others. But the promise of God is that all worldliness will pass away so we can resist it knowing that it will be gone with the wind. Instead, we focus on doing God’s good will because this leads to eternal happiness. Moreover, as others see that our hearts are set on something better God will use our witness to draw others to Jesus and his love. Overcoming Continue Reading →

heaven, on earth, sun

Do We Have Our Heavenly Blessings Now? Ephesians 1:3-14

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Does it seem mysterious to you to say that we have “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places”? (Eph. 1:3) ESV. This idea has seemed very abstract and fuzzy to me, especially the part about the blessings being in heavenly places. Why does it say the blessings are in heavenly places instead of in our hearts? And if the blessings are in heavenly places and we are living on earth does that mean we are separated from our blessings somehow? Do we have to wait until the next life until we have them? As we look at Ephesians 1:3-14 we can see that Paul lists the heavenly  blessings he refers to in verse 3. If we look at these blessings perhaps we can answer some of our questions.  Verse 4: God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world He chose us to be holy and blameless before Continue Reading →

Weekly words of encouragement

The Incredible Value Of Scripture – Weekly Words Of Encouragement

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“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.” II Tim. 3:16-17 (NLT) This passage is encouraging because it comforts us in our efforts to learn and absorb scripture. God promises that as we apply scripture to our lives we will be equipped “to do every good work.” What is better than being able to do good works for God? Overcoming A Fault That’s Beyond Your CharacterJanuary 23, 2026Hope In God – Weekly Words Of EncouragementJanuary 20, 2026The Value Of Holy Viewing – Weekly Words Of EncouragementJanuary 12, 2026

fellowship group

True Discipleship Is A Taste Of Heaven – Col. 3:12-15

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Colossians 3:1-17 is one of my favorite passages in the bible. It’s hard to think of other passages that describe what it means to be a disciple of Jesus so well, It reminds me of the Sermon on the Mount! Today we are looking at Col. 3:12-15: “Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. 13 Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. 14 Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” (NLT) In Col. 3:10 Paul directed the Colossians to put on their Continue Reading →

communism, marx, communist

A World Even Better Than Socialists And Marxists Could Dream

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In the 19th century Karl Marx and Frederick Engels presented their strategy for producing an ideal society. It begins by the workers overthrowing the merchant class (“bourgeoisie”) by force if necessary. The workers then confiscate all the private property of the merchants and others. At the end of chapter two of the Communist Manifesto Marx and Engels claim this will lead to a society where “the free development of each is the condition for the free development of all.” Of course we object to their strategy but their goal wasn’t that far from what Christians hope for. We too await the day when everyone will be free to use the gifts God gave them. It seems God has put this desire for an ideal society into the hearts of humans so that we instinctively know it is the proper place for humanity. Thus, this desire for an ideal society is Continue Reading →